Me and My Gang
by Future Miss CSI60
Summary: I suck at summaries. Here's the low down, Nick is forced to a club, meets a girl, and more than you think will happen, happens...NOFC. FINAL CHAPTER POSTED! Reviews welcome!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Okay, this book is purely Nicky...they'll be other CSI characters but no other relationships...

**Disclaimer:** Think about it...if I owned them, would I really be wasting my time writing a story...HELL NO! This would be an episode!

**Rating: **R+ for very strong language and sexual content

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Me and My Gang**

**Chapter 1**

"I cannot believe I let ya'll drag me into this..." The disgruntled Texan replied as he glared at the four people in front of him. They all continued walking into the club with Nick trailing slowly behind them, contemplating turning around and running for dear life.

_I could probably out run them...maybe not Rick...but if I was desperate enough I probably could..._

"And don't even think about bailing." Catherine ordered, reading his mind. It was scary how accurate her mother's intuition was sometimes.

"C'mon Nick, you had to come...Hell, we even got Sara to come with half as much complaint as you!" Greg exclaimed.

"Hey!" Came Sara's protest but Greg merely rolled his eyes.

"Nick, you need to get out. You know it's not healthy to it at home all alone and do nothing...you have to get out of the house." Warrick instructed and Nick rolled his eyes, but knew that his friend was right. He hadn't left his house much, with the exception of work, since his abduction.

"Come on Nicky, maybe it'll be fun." Sara said hopefully as she reached back and grabbed his arm and urged him to pick up his pace. He moaned and rolled his eyes.

"I highly doubt that Sar." He drawled.

"Who knows Nick; maybe you'll meet a girl." Catherine joked and wiggled her eyebrows.

"I'm not meetin a girl at some random club...which looks highly unsanitary." Everyone rolled their eyes at his dismal comment, but walked through the doors of the club.

The smell of smoke, cigars, beer, and sweat automatically assaulted his nostrils, bringing back memories of his college days. He sighed and looked around the place before taking a cautious step forward. "I think I've just entered the gates of Hell." Nick shouted to the group over the music, earning a few snickers.

"Feel free to get shit faced Nicky, remember, tomorrow is your day off." Catherine reminded with a smirk and a wink.

Nick knew what she was insinuating and he shook his head. "Not gonna happen. I'm goin home after this."

"Nick, if you don't get out of your house more, get some company." Warrick instructed spotting a tall brunette across the bar, naughty ideas forming in his head.

"I already said I'm not meetin a girl here."

"So get a fish at the pet store down the street." Sara joked and he scowled.

"Oooh! I think I just spotted my fish!" Greg exclaimed as an attractive blonde, way out of his league, passed him by. He chased after her and everyone shook their heads as the group dispersed. Warrick went to charm the brunette he had spotted when they had first arrived, Catherine had snagged the first hottie she saw and made their way to the dance floor for some good 'ol grinding.

Sara went to the bar to grab herself a beer and was interrupted by a man with a dazzling smile.

_Damn, even Sara loosened up and is ready to have a good time._

Nick thought as he sat on the bar stool nearest the door and sighed as he watched his friends scatter around the club. Nick sighed and winced as the music made ripples in his Corona bottle. He groaned and rolled his head over to look at the door that was calling his name. He set his empty Corona bottle on the counter, but paused before he stood up.

Someone sat down on the bar stool next to him and smiled at the bartender. "Shot 'a whiskey." She drawled and ran her hand through her ran hair. Nick looked over at her and inspected her, before she felt his eyes on her and turned to look at him. She gave a crooked smile, and then turned her attention back to the bartender who had just set her liquor on the bar.

The woman snatched up the shooter glass and swallowed the liquid in a quick motion. She set the glass down and looked back at the bartender. "Another one please."

The bartender filled her shot glass again and she repeated her motions.

"Texas!" Nick asked, having to shout to be heard above the music, and she looked over at him confused.

"Excuse me!" She drawled.

"Are you from Texas!" Nick said louder than before.

She gave another crooked smile. "The accent?"

"Don't know a woman that can shoot whiskey without up chuckin it afterwards that ain't from Texas." Nick drawled and she smiled.

"Fort Worth."

"Dallas." Nick replied to the answer he knew she was about to ask. They shook hands.

"Is Dallas actually your name or do they just call ya Tex?"

Nick smirked. "Nick Stokes."

"Riley Turner." She drawled and Nick felt a smirk appear on his face. She rolled her eyes, sensing his next comment. "Riley is a girl's name and a boy's name." She defended and Nick chuckled.

"How long you been in Vegas?" Nick asked.

"Almost two years. How about you?"

"Just over six years."

"Damn."

"Yeah..."

"Is your family still in Texas?"

"Yep. I needed to get away. Five sisters, one brother, a mom and a dad can get pretty tough to take sometimes."

She chuckled. "Really? I had five brothers and one sister."

"Oh damn. Okay, be truthful, how often did they rough you up?"

Riley laughed and shook her head, remembering back. "Every damn day!" She chuckled and Nick laughed.

"I would have much rather been roughed up by five brothers than five sisters...when word gets around that the baby brother can't defend himself against his five sisters..." He shook his head and let the thought trail off as he ordered another Corona.

"Aw, baby boy can't handle himself? C'mon! I was the baby too but I could still defend myself and kick my brothers' asses if they pushed it!"

"Yeah, but it's different for a girl. You can fight back and not feel bad, but if I were to hit my sisters...there would be hell to pay." He shook his head and took a swig of his beer. "So, you're the baby in the family, hows the line up go? Who's the oldest?"

"My brother Russell is 41, then Ryan just turned 40, Logan will be 35 in a month, Paige just turned 30, Ricky is 29, Ronny is 27, and then I'm the baby of 24."

"Damn...my oldest sister, Maggie, is 43, Shannon is 41, Erica and Brian are fraternal twins that just turned 38, Karen is 36 and I'm the baby of 35."

"35? You don't look it." She said and Nick gave a crooked smile and shrugged. They fell into silence and she looked out towards the dance floor. She looked back at him and gave a mischievous smile. "Wanna dance?"

Nick looked out to the dance floor uncomfortably. "Uh...I-I uh...I can't dance."

She smiled and cocked her head to the side. "Can you walk?"

He looked at her confused. "Yeah."

"Can you walk to a beat?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "I guess."

She smiled and nodded. "That'll do." She grabbed his hand and tugged on him lightly. "C'mon..."

He looked into her blue eyes and felt himself smile. "I'm gonna look like a dork."

"So what's the worst that could happen? Someone could tell ya?" She asked and Nick chuckled and looked away.

"Fine." He stood and let her lead him to the dance floor. The Black Eyed Peas' Hey Mama blasted from the speakers and Riley turned to face him. She smiled devilishly and stepped closer to him, grabbing his other hand and put them on her hips. She began to sway her hips and smiled as he blushed.

"C'mon Nick, it's easy." She whispered into his ear and let her lips linger by his ear before she slowly pulled away and turned around. She began to shake her hips and danced like the music asked for her too. Soon enough Nick got the hang of things and had turned her back to him and pressed her against his chest. She smiled and bit her bottom lip while smiling flirtatiously.

She slowed her motions and rolled her body against him a few times before beginning to shake her hips again and spin in a slow circle against him. He smiled at her and looked her up and down as she did so. She obviously knew what she was doing. She put her hands up in the air and her low cut black top rose a little as she did so. Nick's hands went from her hips, to slide slowly across the flat stomach that she was baring.

Unbeknown to them, the nightshift that had attended the club had reunited at the bar and were watching Nick and the vixen red head on the dance floor with smirks on their faces. Greg and Warrick grimaced as they reluctantly handed Sara and Catherine twenty dollars each.

Sara and Catherine merely chuckled and shook their heads at the men, before filing out of the building.

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Nick looked around the club for signs of his friends. "They must have already left." Nick explained and Riley shrugged. "Need a lift home?" He asked.

"I can get a cab."

"It's no trouble."

She nodded her head and they walked out of the club and towards his Denali. He opened the door for her and she smiled. "Damn, I haven't experienced the 'Southern Gentleman Manners' since I left Texas." Riley drawled and Nick shrugged, while flashing a big smile.

She buckled herself in as they pulled out of the parking lot and began driving down the street. She rattled off the directions and Nick began the short journey. Soon enough they arrived at her spacious house. "Whoa, this place is nice."

"Wanna come in?" She asked and Nick looked over at her for a moment.

_Is that a good idea...don't even bother kidding yourself saying nothing would happen Stokes. Oh chill out Man! You're a grown man; it's alright to have a little fun..._

"Sure." Nick said and hopped out of the car. She walked around the car and took his hand, leading him across the street to her apartment. Nick couldn't help but smirk as he looked at her from behind. She turned around to shoot him a vixen-grin and Nick smiled wider. The front side was just as nice...

She unlocked the door and they quietly slipped inside. She pulled her arm closer to her body, therefore keeping Nick closer to her, as they climbed the stairs and went towards her bedroom. She let go of his hand for a moment and turned to face him. "Wait here." She whispered and crept to a door on her right; she slipped inside for a few seconds, and then reappeared. Nick flashed a brilliant smile and she blushed.

Riley grabbed his hand again and led him to the back of the long hallway full of doors. She opened the last door and Nick followed her in. As soon as the door closed behind him, he pulled her back to him and pushed her up against the door. She smiled and brought her lips to his, covering him in a passionate kiss. He moaned into her mouth and reached for the hem of her shirt.

He broke the kiss briefly to pull it over her head and dipped his head to kiss her neck. She worked on undoing the buttons of his shirt and slipped it off his shoulders. She kissed his shoulder and moved her way up his neck and jaw line, making her way back to his mouth, all the while unbuttoning and shoving down his jeans. He moaned and pushed her up against the door once again and let his hands drop to the band of her jeans. He quickly undid the button, and then lifted her so she could kick them off. She smiled as she braced his shoulders and wrapped her long legs around his waist.

He carried her over to her bed and laid her down gently as he hovered over her. He marveled at the sight of her almost completely naked body underneath him. She giggled and smiled up at him. "What?" She asked and scrunched her nose while still smiling.

He grinned and didn't answer as he dropped his head down to kiss her well formed cleavage. She ran her hands through his hair as she arched her back so he could unclasp her bra and discard it to the floor. He captured her bare breast in his mouth and began sucking and softly biting at her nipples. She moaned his name softly as he slowly slid her panties off of her long legs and she pushed them to the floor. She reached down and pushed his boxers off him and let her hands linger on his bare hips.

He paused a moment to look her in the eyes, blue met brown and they locked. Her hands traveled up his sides and gripped at his shoulders. "Oh, wait." She rolled over and grabbed her jeans, and pulled a condom from her pocket. She unwrapped it and slid it on him. Nick waited till he could look her in the eye again and she brought her hands to his shoulders again.

They both gasped as he filled her. She moaned and rocked their hips in sync. "_Nick_..." Her accented moan made Nick want her all the more.

He saw her bite her lip to stifle another moan. He quickened his pace and moaned into her shoulder. She clenched her inner walls around him and shook with pleasure as her climax approached. He picked up the pace again and began to finger her swollen nub between his thumb and index finger. She arched her back and dug her nails into his back.

Nick winced from the mix of pain and pleasure. Riley began panting as her climax came and he was soon to follow. He emptied himself in her and braced himself above her. He pulled out and discarded the condom in the trash can by the bed.

They climbed under the covers of her bed and she curled up against his side, resting her head on his chest. Nick wrapped his arms around her and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. She smiled and let sleep wash over her.

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A/N: Okay, that was the first chapter, yep. First chapter...this isn't over yet, far from it.**

Bum Bum Bum!

Reviews are the best thing in the world...next to a good pair of shoes, a good piece of chocolate, and George Eads...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Nick woke up and felt around the bed for the woman he had fallen asleep with. Riley was no where to be found. He saw that she had cleaned up her clothes and folded his neatly and set them in the chair by the bookshelf. He smirked and looked around the room, trying to find a sign of her. He heard a soft murmur of voices down stairs and he grabbed his clothes from last night.

He tip toed out of Riley's room and down the stairs to see a living room full of guys. One of them sitting on the couch smiled and called out. "Hey Ry...I think someone's here for you!"

"Well let them in!"

"He already is."

Riley appeared at the bottom of the stairs and she blushed as the men hooted and hollered behind her. "Shut up!" She shouted good-naturedly. Nick blushed and she slowly walked up the stairs while mouthing the words 'I am so sorry'.

Nick looked back down at the men and blushed again. "Are those your brothers?"

"God no! Those are my roommates."

"Riley, we can all see your ass hanging out of those adorable Cheekies underneath your flannel shirt!" A blonde surfer looking guy from the couch teased and Riley rolled her eyes and smiled as she called back,

"Want me to call Mary and tell her you're lookin at other girl's asses Shaun! Cause I'll do it!" That shut him up and Riley smiled. "Are you headin out now or do you want some breakfast?" Nick paused and stole a quick glance at the guys in the living room, enthralled with whatever was on television. She smirked. "Fair warning, they'll interrogate the hell outta you if you stay."

Nick smiled. "I can handle it."

Riley smiled and they walked back down stairs. The long flannel shirt she was wearing ended at her thigh, exposing her long legs and Nick felt like almost all the eyes in the room were on her legs. Nick looked around the room and Riley pulled him into the living room. "Guys, this is Nick. Nick, this is the guys. That's Troy, and next to him is Shaun,"

"What's up Man?" Shaun greeted and Nick nodded.

"Not much."

"Next to Shaun is Thomas."

"Hi." Thomas greeted and waved at Nick.

"Hey."

"That's Pot Roast." She pointed to the Mexican relaxing in the lazy boy recliner. He nodded lazily at Nick and Nick exchanged the nod.

"Pot Roast...?" Nick asked a smirk forming on his face. "How'd you get that nickname?"

Everyone laughed. "Trust me," Jon began. "You don't wanna know."

"Well, hey Pot Roast."

"This is Jabari." She gestured to the African American man who extended his hand to Nick.

"Hey man, just so you know, she's my wife." Jabari said gesturing towards Riley. Nick looked at her in shock and Riley swatted Jabari upside the back of the head.

"Shut up Jabari." She ordered and shook her head 'no' to Nick. "You have just been introduced to the 'Jabari sense of humor'...funny unless you aren't in on it." She explained and Nick calmed down slightly, feeling stupid for freaking out.

"Don't worry about it Dude," Shaun began, a soft lazy tone to his voice. With his relaxed Ron Jon T shirt, Vans sneakers, and plaid shorts he reminded Nick of a surfer stuck in Suburbia. "Jabs pulls that with every one." He rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the television.

Nick couldn't help but laugh at Riley's blush. "As I was saying, this is CJ," she said nudging the guy who had just approached her.

"What's up man?"

"Not much."

"And this jolly son of a biscuit is Jon." She joked and Nick raised an eyebrow at her. Figuring it was an inside joke he didn't ask and shook hands with the large man who eyed him skeptically.

"Hi Jon." Nick greeted.

"Hey Nick." They shook hands. Riley looked around.

"Who're we missin?"

"Deven, he went out to grab some more beer and cigarettes." CJ answered, his eyes never leaving the television.

"You guys! It's 8:00 in the morning!"

"_Hello_, the beer is for later." Thomas piped up.

She rolled her eyes and whispered to Nick. "They ain't even gonna make it past noon without crackin into the six pack." She said with a slight chuckle. Nick smiled and shook his head. "Okay boys, play nice. I'll be right back." She said turning to face Nick.

She jogged up the stairs and Shaun smirked at Nick, "So, you met Riley at the club?"

"Yeah..." Nick answered, suddenly feeling very nervous...and very old. He realized he had to have at least five or six years on more than a few of the people in the room. He shifted his weight nervously, and luckily Riley came back down the stairs after having changed into a pair of cut offs and a green Texas A&M T-shirt.

Just then the door opened and a man about an inch taller than Nick appeared on the door. His dark brown hair was in a buzz cut and his piercing blue eyes were shown once he removed his sunglasses and stepped into the living room. He looked over at Riley and she met his gaze. The man look over at Nick and met his eyes.

"Hey Shaun!" He called, his eyes never leaving Nick.

"Yeah?" Came the lazy reply.

"When'd we get a new guy in here?"

"Since last night. Riley brought him home."

Riley rolled her eyes and continued down the steps. "Keep it in check boys, last thing we need is a testosterone battle." Riley ordered and walked past Deven to the mail he set down on the counter. "Is my notice back yet?" She asked trying to ignore that fact that everyone had stopped talking and was now watching them.

"Nope." Deven answered and Riley looked back up and smiled at Nick.

"Oh damn, where are my manners? This is Deven. Deven, this is Nick."

Nick reached out and shook the guy's hand, immediately feeling the jealousy radiating off of him. Riley sensed it too and quickly ushered Nick into the kitchen. "Breakfast should be ready shortly." she explained and blushed as she closed the door.

"I am so sorry Nick. I was trying to get them breakfast and get them outta here before you woke up so you wouldn't have to deal with that." She put her hand to her forehead and Nick shook his head.

"Nah, its fine."

"If you want we can grab a bite to eat else where or you can put your tail between your legs and haul ass."

Nick chuckled and shook his head. "Riley, its fine."

She blushed and chuckled nervously. "God, this has to be the worst morning after..."

Nick chuckled. "No, once I woke up next to this thing that looked like a reject for a Steven King movie." Nick joked and Riley doubled over laughing.

"Nick! That's horrible!"

"You're tellin me, you didn't have to wake up next to it."

She laughed harder and shook her head. "Damn, you're bad." She continued with the breakfast preparations she had started earlier. "When do you have to work?"

"Not till tomorrow, but I work the nightshift so..."

"Same here."

"Where?"

"The club we were at last night."

"You work there?"

"Bartender. I'm tryin to get myself through my last year of medical school." She said simply and Nick smiled and nodded. "Do you like pancakes?"

"Yep."

"Good. You get yours first. I suggest you take about five steps back and over or you'll get crushed."

Nick did as directed and Riley smiled. "Breakfast!" She called and the guys from earlier stomped into the kitchen, all of them fighting over the pancakes, eggs, and fruit.

She motioned for Nick to follow her and they quickly exited the kitchen. "Wow...is it like that every morning?"

"Yep. Now you see why I'm still single." She pointed out. "No man is strong enough for that." She pointed back towards the kitchen and nodded towards the back sliding door and patio. They sat on the porch and looked out over her back yard.

"So...not to pry, but is this your typical one night stand?" She said a smile on her face. Nick chuckled and shook his head.

"I think it stopped being a one night stand when I came down for breakfast."

She chuckled and nodded. "Where do you work?"

"Las Vegas Crime Lab."

"You're a cop?"

"Crime scene analyst."

"Oh...is it fun?"

He thought back on all the stuff and nodded slowly. "It's not so much fun as rewarding."

"A sense of power knowing you put away the bad guy?"

"A sense of safety knowing one less criminal is walking the streets."

She smiled. "Damn, we must seem really immature huh?" She said laughing.

"You seem relaxed."

"Well...they're a bunch of goofs, but they know when to be serious. Plus, they're the best of friends you could ask for. Jabari, Pot Roast, and I are all goin to the same college. Jon wants to get into professional boxing, Marcus is a head liner in some of the shows here, and Thomas works at the bar with me, while Jabari DJ's for us. Troy works at an art gallery, CJ wants to be a photographer, and Shaun wants to get into construction...Deven probably will too."

Nick nodded, secretly wondering if there had been anything between Deven and Riley as the door opened, and a slightly plump girl walked towards Riley while rolling her eyes. "The animals are talking about you and some, quote from Thomas, 'sexy vixen' out here." She mumbled and gave Riley a hug. Riley laughed.

"Kiersten, this is Nick." Riley said motioning to Nick. "Nick, this is my best friend Kiersten."

"I didn't know you had any friends that weren't guys." Nick joked and Riley. Keirsten looked him up and down and shook his hand.

"Well, Thomas was right..." She turned back to Riley, "Nice choice Chica."

Riley blushed again. "Ah Kit, don't start, poor Nick just had to deal with everyone in there."

"Everyone? Even Deven?"

"Yep. But anyways, where's Marcus? He's supposed to be dropping off my car today." Riley said quickly changing the subject.

"I don't know...I think he's still sleeping."

Riley rolled her eyes. "Typical Marcus."

Kiersten shrugged and sighed. "I gotta go check my e-mail. Can I use your computer?"

"Go for it." Riley said, and she and Nick were once again left alone. She blushed and shook her head. "I'll close my eyes and count to ten, that way you can bail without me seeing." She smirked and Nick shook his head.

"Wait till I'm done with my breakfast." He joked right back and she chuckled. "So, how many of them actually live here?"

"Well, Jon has his own apartment about a block or so away, and Troy and Marcus live about 30 minutes from here, and Deven just bought a house down the street. Everyone else lives here."

"Damn."

"Yeah, but I'm used to it. I've got five boys and a girl...it's just like home. Except, Thomas is more like my sister than my brother."

"What time do you go to work?" Nick asked, changing the subject.

"In about twelve hours...I'm a little off; I'm not used to bein up right now."

"Me neither, you want me to leave?"

"No. But if you need sleep than yeah, go for it."

Nick chuckled and shook his head. "Are you sure you don't need sleep?"

She shook her head and smiled at him.

_Hmm...wasn't this supposed to be a one-night-stand...? Or, was it **supposed** to be anything? _

Riley wondered as they sat in silence and watched the scenery.

_Am I supposed to leave? Did she only want a one-night-stand...? Did **I** only want a one-night-stand...? God, is it even smart to **consider** starting anything right now? _

"Ry! Do you have a lighter!" Thomas called and walked out the back door to see them sitting out there.

"Yep." She handed it to him from out of her pocket.

"Thanks much Babe. I'll give it back later." He said and lit his cigarette while walking back into the house.

"I am never gonna see that lighter again." Riley said while shaking her head. "You wanna go back into the circus? I'm sure the baboons and tigers have calmed down now."

Nick chuckled and nodded as they stood and went into the house, through the dinning room, hallway and into the living room. "Riley, are you workin tonight?" Jabari asked while stuffing his face with eggs.

"Yeah. 8:30, why?"

"You might wanna put some cover up on that hickey on your neck." He said smirking. Riley blushed and her hands fled to her neck, and her eyes to Nick. He was a deep red and Riley shook her head.

"Same for you Nick." Jon replied and everyone besides Nick, Riley, and Deven were laughing. Riley looked over at his neck and rolled her eyes at Shaun and the rest of the men seated before him.

She took Nick by the hand and they walked into the kitchen.

"Goin to make some more of those little love marks?" Shaun teased.

"Fuck off Shaun." Riley snapped.

"Aw, I've upset-"

"Shut the fuck up Shaun!" Deven ordered angrily. Everyone stared at him in slight shock. Deven huffed and stalked up the stairs, leaving them all in the living room. A blanket of tension covered the house and Nick and Riley hurried into the kitchen. She shook her head and went to the fridge.

"You want somethin to drink?" She asked and he nodded. "Water or...beer." She chuckled and Nick smiled.

"Water's fine." He drawled and she handed him a Dasani water bottle. She grabbed one for herself and grabbed a pack of cigarettes off the counter.

"You want one?" She drawled.

_Oh man...I haven't smoked in years...ah what the Hell..._

"Sure." Nick accepted one and she opened a few different drawers in search of a lighter.

"Shit. Thomas!"

"Yes Doll?"

She walked to the door of the kitchen, pushed it open and stood in the door way. "I need my lighter."

He searched in his pockets and tossed it to her. She lit her cigarette and then tossed it to Nick. "How many you got left?" Pot Roast asked.

"I don't know." Riley answered and opened her pack. "About ten or so." She tossed him a cigarette and the lighter. He popped it in his mouth and lit it. "Okay, enough cartoons guys. Can we watch something that doesn't make us loose IQ points?" Riley asked as she blew the smoke out of her mouth.

"No." Everyone protested and Riley rolled her eyes.

Just then Marcus walked in the door and went straight to Troy. "Your car is in the drive way Hon." Marcus said tossing Riley the keys. He sat next to Troy and Riley turned to Nick.

"You want to go somewhere for coffee?"

"That reminds me Ry, we need coffee." Jon said.

"So go shopping, I'm not the only one who has to do that ya know."

"Yeah, but we let you because you like going shopping."

She scoffed. "I like shopping for shoes. And that's it. Get off your last asses and go shopping." She instructed and they all moaned in protest and threw the couch pillows at her. She chuckled and turned to Nick. "Anywhere you wanna go?"

He thought for a minute.

"I think I know where he wants to go..." Jabari snickered and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, Riley shot him a glare.

"Who wouldn't?" CJ joined and Riley threw one of the pillows back at him and shook her head.

"How about we just leave?" She suggested and Nick nodded.

"That sounds good." He whispered and followed her upstairs. She went into the hallway and Deven walked out of CJ's room. He stopped in front of her and she sighed in exasperation.

"We need to talk." he said and she shook her head.

"No we don't." Riley informed him and pushed past him. Nick followed, but not before seeing the glare Deven shot him. Nick walked into Riley's room and closed the door behind him.

"I know it's not any of my business but..."

Riley sighed and sat down at her desk and pulled the other chair over for Nick to sit on. "Deven and I dated for about four years in Texas. He was there on business for a few years...and then he ended up staying for me. then we both moved out here and dated for about another year...we broke up last year after I caught him cheating on me with one of my best friends, Alyssa."

Nick looked at his hands. "I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault. You didn't tell him to cheat on me."

"He still has feelings for you." Nick pointed out the obvious and Riley sighed.

"I broke up with him and he tried to win me back but...the damage was done and I couldn't stand him. We were fine for a while...then things went downhill. We couldn't stand to be in the same room with each other. It almost tore our group apart but...we survived and were finally able to tolerate each other enough to be in the same room..."

"Until this morning."

Riley sighed and crushed her cigarette in the ash tray. "Yeah well, he can go fuck a monkey for all I care. He's being immature." She huffed and grabbed her purse. "You ready to leave?"

Nick nodded and they stood and left the room. They past Kiersten in the hall, "What's up with Deven?" She asked and Riley rolled her eyes. She motioned slightly to Nick and she nodded in understanding. "Want me to baby-sit the kids while you're gone Mama?" She joked and Riley nodded.

"Yes please." She walked down the stairs and pulled her purse on over her shoulder. "Now you boys play nice while I'm gone." She joked and a few of them snickered.

"Why? Are you gonna spank us if we're not good?" Shaun asked wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"You have a one track mind Shaun." Nick informed him.

"Thank you. I take pride in that fact."

Riley laughed and shook her head. "Let's go. I'm serious boys. You trash the house, I kick your ass."

There were a series of whoops and howls of pleasure as she walked out the door, Nick trailing close behind. "I'll take my car so you don't have to drive me back here to pick up my car."

She nodded and leaned against her black 2005 Toyota Corolla and slid her sun glasses on. "Where are we goin?"

"How about coffee at a great coffee shop I know." Nick suggested and they decided she would follow him there.

* * *

They had been sitting in the coffee shop for almost three hours when they decided to walk around the strip. Amazingly, it wasn't horrible, like each had been thinking. It had started off as a simple one-night-stand and was actually a date.

Nick had learned a lot about her and her home life, why she came to Vegas, and how she met all of her roommates. The house actually belonged to Thomas' father, who was in high standards with the Mayor. He gave Thomas the apartment and they all decided to pull their paychecks together so they could afford it.

Riley learned about all of Nick's sisters and how they would embarrass him around his girlfriends any chance they got. He told her about his parents and why he had left Texas and explained his job. He had just finished telling her about the night shift when he saw Warrick and Sara walking towards him, without noticing him.

Not quite ready for the ribbing he would receive if they saw him with a girl from the club, he quickly pulled Riley into a department store. They hung out in there for a while until they finally parted ways.

Nick drove home with his thoughts drifting to Riley...there was something about her...he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Something about her that seemed to entrance him. It was probably the reason he had gone home with her that night, besides the obvious reasons, something that was different...only he didn't know what it was.

Nick opened his front door and sighed as he threw his keys on the table. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be a one-night-stand and nothing more...so why did he go out with her after wards? Courtesy? Intrigue? Mystery? Or maybe it was the simple fact that she was a hot, Southern, red head that was easy to talk to, with an IQ higher than a pencil...a dangerous combo in Nick's world.

He shook the thoughts of her away and went towards his shower to clean off their encounter from the night before. He stood under the shower and let the hot beads of water travel down his body before he began to scrub down. After he had completely soaped himself and rinsed off he turned off the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist and walked into his room.

That was it. He couldn't think about Riley anymore. It was a simple one-night-stand...that was it. it couldn't become anything more than that...he couldn't handle it. Not right now. Personally he didn't think that Riley could either. She had enough men in her life.

* * *

_Chapter 3 should be up soon enough...what oh what will happen next?_

_I heard a rumor that giving people reviews –cough—**me** –cough, cough— makes you live longer... :)_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **I know there's not a lot of CSI in this book, well, at least not yet. I've got it all worked out, don't worry. If all goes according to plan...well, I'll just let ya'll be surprised. And yea...I know. I'm serious...his name is Pot Roast...it's a nick name... –everyone laughs—I know, it's just so funny. –smiles—Ha, ha, it's so funny :)

**Rating:** M...again, always assume it's M, cause if there's not sex, there's language or somethin else naughty.

**Disclaimer: **I own everything but Nick and Sara...wow...OMG! normally I'm saying I own nothing except 'such-and-such'...I own a lot in this story, and I promise, the CSI is coming. I just feel that there is too much CSI and not enough personal life in some books...but any way.

**

* * *

Chapter 3**

_(2 months later)_

"Hey, man, c'mon. Just tell me."

"I said no." Nick replied while chuckling and lacing up his black boots. Warrick chuckled.

"_Come on_ Nick, just tell me, how was the date."

"Warrick, read my lips man, I'm not tellin."

"That bad huh?"

"It wasn't bad..."

"You just weren't interested." Warrick said, rolling his eyes. He had remembered the conversation from Nick's previous dates. "Nick, man, what's your deal? They were hot, sexy, girls, ready for fun...how could _you_, the ladies man of the lab, not be interested when they're practically _begging_ you for sex?"

Nick chuckled nervously and swung his leg over the bench and faced his locker. He shrugged, truly lost in his predicament. He had been on a total of five dates in 2 months, but not one of the women he had gone out with had piqued his interest.

Warrick shook his head and sighed. "I don't get you Nick...I really don't."

Grissom appeared at the doorway of the locker room and interrupted the conversation. "Boys, where are you on the Madison case?"

"We have one more suspect to interview. Club owner, Daniel Mathis, he owns Club Spike." Warrick filled Grissom in, the older man nodded.

"Come see me when you're done. Try not to spend too much time on this..." With that Grissom left and Warrick looked at Nick.

"Ready to go for a ride Little Buddy?" Warrick asked and Nick chuckled.

"You're weird Rick."

"No, Greg's weird. I have a distinct personality that varies from day to day."

"What ever."

* * *

"Mr. Mathis, did you know the deceased, Debra Thompson?" Warrick asked and showed him a picture of the girl. He barely glanced at it before handing the photo back.

"No."

"Why don't you take another look?" Brass suggested

He sighed as if this entire thing was a total waste of his time. "No. I don't know who she is."

"Well our evidence says otherwise." Nick piped up. "Epithelials on the towel that was shoved down her throat says you were there the day she died..."

He scoffed. "Epithelials. What is that?"

"Skin cells, they were found on the murder weapon."

Mathis waved this comment away. "No more." He handed Warrick a card. "Next time you want to talk to me, talk to my lawyer."

And with that Brass, Nick, and Warrick were kicked out of Mr. Mathis' office. "Unbelievable." Warrick grumbled. Nick nodded in agreement and looked over in a nonchalant way...when she caught his eye.

Nick had to do a double take, but it was indeed her. Riley Turner. She was behind the bar, wiping down the counter quickly while pouring a drink for a man at the bar. She looked fantastic. Her midriff was exposed, showing the feminine, defined abs Nick had experienced. her black top was a ripped off at the sleeves and had silver studs encircling the arm. Her hair was down, and fell spiral curly around her face, reaching about an inch below her shoulders. She had black cuffs on her wrists and a black leather belt hooked loosely around her tight fitting jeans.

Her make up was dark, and edgy, but sexy all the same. Not Nick's normal type, she looked like a girl Greg would date, but something about her was so enticing. Nick slowed down his pace, but not enough to draw Warrick's attention. he did catch Riley's though. She made brief eye contact, and then looked back to the customers at the bar. She didn't seem angry or upset. It was almost as if she didn't recognize him.

"Hey uh, Rick, I'll catch up with ya in a minute. I wanna check something."

"Alright." Warrick said, not even looking back. Nick turned and went over to the bar and waited a few feet away from the man she was currently helping. She poured the liquor into the glasses in a long line like a pro. She twirled the bottles on her fingers and slid them back under the bar. A few men clapped and she smiled, and cracked the lid off the beer bottle off the cuff on her silver Texas buckle belt. She smiled devilishly and slid the man his drink. The men parted ways and she continued wiping down the counter, not looking up for a few moments at Nick.

When she finally did make eye contact she merely stared at him, as if she genuinely didn't recognize him. he smiled downheartedly at her. "You don't remember me do you?" He drawled and she cracked a cheeky smile.

"Yeah I recognized you. I just wasn't sure if you recognized me."

"Why else would I have come over here?"

"What everyone else does." She said gesturing to the alcohol around her. Nick smiled and shook his head.

"What've you been up to?"

Once again she gestured to her surroundings. "Work."

"Listen I um...I just wanted to uh, explain why-"

"Nick, I get it. I know how a one-night-stand works."

Nick stared at her a moment, "Oh..."

She chuckled. "It's okay Nick. I didn't expect you to call...I never gave you my number."

"Yeah but I knew where you worked." She shrugged. "So um..."

"I uh, I actually have to get back to work." She said and turned away from him and went to help the other patrons at the bar. She was really okay with it...she understood.

But for some outlandish reason_ Nick_ wasn't okay with that. He sighed and stood next to the person she was trying to help.

"Can I take you out to dinner?" Nick blurted.

"What?" Riley asked confused. She was trying to keep her attention focused on the person in front of her...

"I want to take you out to dinner."

...But Nick was making it difficult.

She sighed half exasperatedly and turned to face him. "Nick, you don't have to do that. I know how it works."

"Well...this isn't about that."

"Excuse me buddy, wait your turn." The man she was previously talking to interrupted them.

"Excuse me a minute sir." Riley drawled and the man sighed. "Nick, seriously."

"Hello, Miss." The man interrupted again.

"Just hang on one minute sir." She asked.

"Riley please." Nick beseeched.

"Yo! Woman! Get over here!"

"Hey! I'm tryin to fuckin talk here! Back off!" Riley shouted and the man stormed away from the bar. "Asshole." She murmured and Nick raised his brow. "Not you."

"Riley-"

"Nick-"

"**Riley**, I'm not doing this because I feel bad," _Am I?_ "I'm doing this because I want to." _I do?_ "I want to take you out on a date. Not a one-night-stand kinda thing." _Oh man Nick, bad...bad. You can't handle this right now. Stop asking her out._ "Please...?"

She sighed and ran a hand threw her curls. "Nick...I don't know if that's such a good idea."

"Why not?" Nick knew he was pushing it...but something inside his gut told him to keep pushing.

"Because, it's just not. Look, I really have to get back to work. I'm sorry." She said and turned back to some other patrons.

"Yo, Nick! You comin man?" He heard Warrick call him and he turned away from the bar dejectedly. Riley watched him go out of the corner of her eye and continued working. Thomas soon approached her and nudged her lightly.

"Wasn't that the sexy cowboy that you brought home a couple months ago?" He asked, the feminine tone of his voice peaking out.

"Yeah."

"What'd he want? Another rendezvous between the sheets?" he waggled his eyebrow and Riley chuckled and shook her head.

"Nah, he was just sayin hi."

Thomas nodded and then Jabari approached them. "Wasn't that the guy from a couple of months ago?" He asked motioning towards the door. Riley rolled her eyes and nodded. Jabari looked back skeptically.

"He was saying hi." Thomas relayed.

"What, he sleeps with you, and then 2 months later out of the blue he comes and says hi...?"

"Apparently." Riley said and continued filling the drink orders. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be spinnin Jare Bear?" She drawled and he shook his head.

"Nope. Tony's fillin in for me."

"Deven's friend?" Jabari nodded. "Is he comin over later?"

"Yeah, once his shift ends we're headin back to the 'pad' for some guy time."

Riley sighed and rolled her eyes, "Okay, first off, it can't be a bachelor pad when a girl lives there, and second, if ya'll are callin strippers again _ya'll_ are cleanin up the mess. I ain't doin it again."

"Pssh! We ain't inviting strippers till you are outta town. You were livid last time!"

Riley chuckled. "Well comin home after a long days work to a trashed house and three naked women isn't exactly a good way to end the day for me." She defended and poured some more drinks. "My shift is over in an hour, when is Tony done?"

"About the same time."

"Okay, I'm hitchin a ride with ya'll. Poor Thomas will be here till closing."

Jabari winced and shook his head. "Poor little guy."

"Yeah, well he seems to have charmed a fella of his own so...I don't think he minds _too_ much." They exchanged a few laughs before getting back to work. Riley was thankful for her short lived distraction, thoughts of Nick were returning from earlier.

She moaned and continued with her work until the bar seemed to be emptying out. Only two people were left and Vic, the bouncer, was kicking them out know. Riley was sprawled out on the freshly cleaned bar counter with Tony's head on her stomach. He had passed out from too many shots and decided it would be fun to play, 'use-Riley-as-a-pillow'.

She thought she heard Jabari coming up to her, when she opened her eyes and realized it was Deven. She bolted upright and looked at him in confusion. "I thought Jabari was taking us home?"

"No...he called and said that he had to go spin for Club Reckless." Club Reckless was the spin-off of the club they were currently in and owned by the same Daniel Mathis. "I'm taking you home."

Riley stared at him a moment, but nodded and lifted Tony's head off her stomach. "Tony, we're going back to my place, if you need to puke, tell me and I'll get out of the way. But if you up chuck on my new black boots I'll kick your ass. Got it?"

"Uh huh." He moaned and tried to walk. After he stumbled a few times, Deven threw him over his shoulder and carried him out of the bar.

"We still need to talk." Deven pointed out once they were all situated in the car and driving down the street.

"Deven...tonight isn't the night."

"Ry...listen, I know I fucked up,"

She scoffed.

"Ry, please."

"No."

"Riley-"

"Deven, not now. I don't want to deal with this alright? I'm tired and I just want to go home and take a nice long bubble bath. It's been a long day and I don't want to discuss our relationship or lack thereof." She argued and looked out the window.

Deven sighed. "Is this about that Nick guy?"

"No."

"Was he the first since-"

"Deven! I'm not discussing my sex life with you!"

"Riley...I think I have the right to know." He said softly. He looked at her and gave her the look that use to make her give into anything.

"No you don't...you haven't had that right in a long time." Riley pointed out softly and continued staring out the window.

* * *

Nick pulled into his driveway and sat in the car for a few minutes. He was sure Riley would be angry with him for not contacting her for two months. Then all of the sudden he shows up at her bar and asks her out...God he must've sounded like such an idiot.

"Damn it Nick...what were you thinkin?" He asked himself, getting out of his car and going into his house. He threw his bag and keys down by the door and fell back onto his ouch, throwing his arm over his head. he had fallen asleep almost instantly, apparently he was more tired than he thought.

He had a dream about their talk after their 'one-night-stand'. When they were sitting out in her backyard talking...when she had seemed eager to get to know him...was that all an act?

He had a hard time believing that. He had only known her for a shirt amount of time but he could tell that wasn't all an act. His dream continued, basically replaying their day's events.

Nick woke a few hours later and pulled himself into the shower. He physically felt like hell...like a horrible hang over...but he hadn't been drinking anything. "Damn, this chick has messed me up so fuckin bad." Nick cursed as he jumped into the shower and washed his day off of him.

* * *

Riley stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel around her long and slender body. She had done a Jane Fonda tape after work to burn off steam and relax. After that she had jumped in the shower and finally felt the effects of limited sleep getting to her. She dried off and crawled into bed, snuggling into the cool sheets that felt like velvet against her silky skin.

She sighed and fell asleep almost instantly, letting a dreamless sleep control her tired body.

She felt someone shaking her gently and whispering her name. "Riley...Riley wake up."

She moaned in protest and buried her head into the pillow. "Five more minutes."

"Riley get dressed now."

"Just two more damn minutes."

"Riley! God Damnit! Shaun's in the hospital! get your ass outta bed!" Jon ordered and she bolted upright, grabbing the sheets to hide herself.

"Oh my God...what happened?"

"He got into a car accident." She grabbed her robe from the chair beside her bed and slid it on, then crawled out of bed.

"Is he okay?" She asked, her voice trembling.

"He's in ICU."

"Holy Fuck." She swore under her breath.

"Get dressed." She quickly rolled out of bed and threw on clean under wear and her jeans from the night before. She pulled a form fitting Rock 'N Roll T-shirt and slid her Vans on her feet. After grabbing a hooded sweater jacket she jogged into the living room to see Thomas, Jon, and CJ pacing nervously.

"Let's go." She said and they all hurried out the door.

* * *

The foursome made their way into the ICU waiting room and met up with Tony, Troy, Marcus, Jabari, Kiersten, Deven, and Pot Roast. Kiersten ran up and embraced Riley in a hug and she felt Kit's tears soak through the shoulder of her shirt. She comforted her friend and looked around at the other inhabits of the room. Troy had a few tears on his face and Marcus was comforting him, Jabari looked a little confused. He had just been talking to Shaun a few hours ago. He had the 'How-the-hell-did-this-happen' look on his face. Pot Roast was staring at the floor, his hands gripping tightly at his short, curly black locks. The position of his slumped shoulders sent off signal saying he felt semi-responsible.

He was the one who had loaned Shaun his car. They were going out to get some chips and beer for the party when it happened...it could have been Pot Roast. No doubt the poor guy was kicking that around relentlessly in his mind. Riley sighed and passed Kiersten off to Jabari as she sat down next to Pot Roast.

He had never really been the talker of the group, he enjoyed himself, made jokes, and laughed...but he was usually very quiet. He would usually talk to Riley...if it was important enough. She reached over and took his hand in hers supportively. "it could have been me Ry...it should have been me..." He said softly and she shook her head.

"No, it shouldn't have been anyone...how did it happen?"

"Idiot driver, pulled out at a red light and crashed into Shaun and some other car...the other guy didn't make it. The one who hit them is in ICU too..."

She squeezed his hand and looked at the wall in front of them. He shook his head aggravated. "I need to walk." he stood and took off down the hall. Riley stood there and watched him go, wishing she could console him more. She looked back at the group and saw Tony was trying to get Deven to talk...

No doubt he had been trying for hours. It was probably useless. When Deven felt emotion he kept it bottled up...especially when he was hurting. Riley had been the one that could drag it out of him...and tonight would probably be no different. She walked over and stood by Tony and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey...why don't you go find Pot Roast..." She suggested softly and Tony nodded, going after his friend.

Riley sighed and sat next to Deven. Neither said anything, merely because there was too much to say and no where to start. Riley sighed and looked at her hands. "He's gonna be okay...you know that right?" She said softly, not looking at him.

Deven leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, mocking Riley's position. "I know..." He answered after several minutes.

Truthfully, out of all of her friends, Deven was the one she was worried about the most. He and Shaun had been the closest. They had been friends for almost twenty years...they had lived in Florida for a while, but then their families moved out to Texas. Desperate for the boys to keep contact with each other. Then they had met Pot Roast in 6th grade, the same time Riley and Kiersten met each other. They all united in Biology in 7th grade and then slowly, they collected random friends throughout the years.

The kids moved back to Florida for a while where they found Tony, then Jabari and CJ.

After the group decided on a risky move back to Texas they met Thomas and Troy at a Mardi Grass in New Orleans. The invited the guys along for their trip and they all made it to Texas. But they didn't stop there, they moved all the way out to California where they met Marcus. Shortly thereafter Troy and Marcus started going out, therefore adding a new person to the inner circle. While partying at a Rave in Hollywood the kids had a run in with the law when they were all caught getting high in public. Jon's father was a police officer that caught them... but Jon and Riley had met previously at a few parties, and Jon pulled a few strings to let them all off the hook. And the last member was instigated.

When Riley's mother got sick they all fled back to Texas, desperate to not separate. They toughed it out for a few years, and then on a drunken dare from a few other mutual friends, they moved out to Vegas. Most would call them crazy, twelve kids moving all around the Southern United States just for the hell of it, continually getting drunk and baked in public and constantly getting off the hook because of Jon and Riley's ties to the law in several states.

Others would call them bums and degenerates...but to themselves and their families...they were 'The Gang'.

But they original 5 were the core of the group...Shaun, Pot Roast, Deven, Riley, and Kiersten...they were the heart and soul of the group, and they were taking Shaun's condition the hardest.

"Are you sure?" Deven asked softly and Riley nodded.

"Yeah." She replied. "Yeah...he's gonna be okay." She reached over and rubbed the area between his shoulder blades, a trick that she had learned calmed him down quickly. He sighed heavily and grabbed her other hand and squeezed it lightly for support.

She tried not to tense up at his touch, and soon relaxed enough not to raise suspicion from him. Not that he would have noticed anyway...he was too worried about Shaun to even think about who's hand he was holding.

* * *

A few hours later they finally had word on Shaun's condition, he wasn't doing as well as the doctor's would have hoped. He was conscious but probably not up for any visitors. The police were coming to take his statement, so the entire group had to wait until after they left to even be considered for visiting him. Riley and Deven had seemed to be frozen in their places, both thinking about their favorite memories of Shaun. Suddenly the group heard a few separate pairs of foot steps and Jon looked up.

"Nick?" Jon asked and everyone looked up to stare at Nick in confusion. Nick's eyes flickered to Riley.

_Whoa...I thought the name sounded familiar..._

Nick thought and tried not to focus on Riley and Deven and the fact that they were holding hands.

_Why is this bothering me...? She made it clear I was her one-night-stand. _

"Uh...yeah." He greeted and tired to avoid Riley's stare. "This is my partner, Sara Sidle and Det. Brass, we're with the Las Vegas Crime Lab."

"Crime Lab?" Jabari asked confused.

"Why is the Crime Lab involved?" Tony asked.

"Well, there was an accident and a man was killed, and two were hospitalized, that's cause enough for the Crime Lab to be involved." Sara explained.

"So...you're investigating Shaun's case?" Troy asked and they nodded.

"Yes, I'm going to need to talk to all of you."

"Why?" Thomas asked confused.

"Because we need to get full accounts of all the stories." Nick explained.

"But none of us were with him when it happened." Kiersten protested.

"That's true, but what happened before and after are just as important as during the crime."

"You really think this is a crime?" Riley spoke for the first time and Nick turned to look at her.

"Someone was killed...that's always a crime." Nick replied and Riley looked away from his intense stare. She leaned back into her current position and looked down at her hand, her eyes occasionally flickering to her and Deven's entwined fingers.

_Okay...when did we entwine our fingers? _

Riley thought confused. It was a weird thing to be thinking at a time like that...her best friend in a hospital bad, barely conscious, her ex-boyfriend holding her hand, and her one night stand watching everyone's moves like a hawk...and she was thinking about entwined fingers. She let go of Deven's hand to quickly reach into her pocket and tie her hair up in a messy bun to keep it out of her face, and she returned her hand to its position, hanging loosely from her knee.

Much to her relief Deven didn't make a move to hold her hand again. But at the same time, it irked her. Was he only not holding her hand because Nick was here?

_God Turner! Stop it! Your best friend is sitting in a hospital bed hanging on for dear life and you're thinking about your one-night-stand and your ex! You have to be here for Shaun...he needs you..._

This only caused her to mellow out and a deep wave of depression hit her, it was as if she had just found out that this had happened. She let out a huge breath of stress and looked up at Kiersten, a lost look in her eye. Kiersten sensed something was wrong and they had a conversation with their eyes, a skill they had perfected in their seventeen years of friendship.

"_What's wrong Chica?" _

"_Kit...its Nick, my one-night-stand, and Deven, my ex who's holding my hand!"_

"_Okay, calm down...you need to take big even breaths and chill." _

"_Okay, okay, okay...alright..."_

"_Oh Shit, Nick's coming towards me first. Stay strong Chica." _

"_Kit..."_

Sara disappeared behind the door that led to the room Shaun was in. Detective Brass took Kiersten aside while Nick spoke with Thomas. They had spoken to everyone but Pot Roast and Riley.

_They're double teaming us...Oh God, please let me talk to the Detective instead of Nick..._

Some while later her name was called, "Riley."

_No such luck..._

Riley stood and walked over to Nick and leaned against the wall, not bothering to hide the fact she had been falling asleep only moments before. "Where were you earlier tonight?" He drawled and she sighed and rubbed her forehead tiredly.

"I was at work until 3 a.m."

"And afterwards..."

"I went home and slept for a few hours. Then Jon woke me up and told me about Shaun, so we came here." She explained calmly, her sweet accent extremely evident from her tired state. Nick finished writing down what he needed to on Brass' spare note pad and nodded.

"Okay thanks." He drawled, not making eye contact with her.

She immediately felt bad and wanted to say something...but what do you say in a time like that? She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it and went back to where she was sitting earlier.

Sara walked out of Shaun's room and nodded towards Nick. Riley kept her eyes down and tried to avoid his stare for as long as she could.

"Well probably be speaking with a few of you again." Brass stated. They all nodded and Brass turned to leave, with Sara following. Riley looked up and met Nick's eyes, he looked at her for a moment, it was an awkward and intense gaze.

Riley felt more uncomfortable than she had in a while, but she couldn't look away. "We'll call if something comes up." He finally said and Riley watched him leave.

_Okay...that was the weirdest, most awkward ten seconds of my life. _

Just then a nurse came from Shaun's room. "Excuse me, Mr. Reynolds can have visitors now." The nurse explained and Deven stood up first.

He looked around to make sure everyone was okay with him going first, and they all nodded. The minute he disappeared behind the door Kiersten rushed over to sit next to Riley. "Oh my God, there was more sexual tension in here than a bunch of virgins at a male model bikini exhibit."

Riley looked at her like she was nuts. "Why can't you just say there was a lot of sexual tension in here?"

Kiersten shrugged, "What ever, so...are you and Deven getting back together?" She asked cautiously.

"God no."

"Good, that would _not_ be good. So what about you and the sexy criminalist?"

"No. That was a one-night-stand. Nothing more."

"Who just happens to be popping up everywhere."

"What?"

"The bar twice, here...hello, fate is totally knocking at your door."

She rolled her eyes. "You know, I liked you better when you were sitting over there." Riley joked dryly and Kiersten rolled her eyes.

"Fine, fine...just don't come cryin to me when someone else snags that hunky cowboy."

**

* * *

A/N: okay, whose she gonna end up with...? You probably already know the answer, so the torture will end soon enough.**

Reviews are totally awesome...you should review...no more reviews, no more chapters. I'm holding them hostage!


	4. Chapter 4

Yeah, it's still rated R+ cause there are some potty mouths in here! And again, the only one I don't own is Nick...

And I am officially **very** unhappy, I've got over 100 hits and like,1 review...it's hard to write happy things when I'm unhappy. –hint hint—

Oh, and I also don't own That 70s Show...sadly, nor do I own Coyote Ugly. I have no affiliation with the people in charge of the actual bar, Coyote Ugly, or the movie. I also don't own, nor have any association with, Dane Cook or any of the people representing him. But if you've never heard his work...you should. It's hilarious.

**

* * *

Chapter 4 **

_(2 weeks later) _

Shaun was released from the hospital yesterday, and everyone was trying to keep him comfortable, and helping him function with his leg cast. But because Shaun was Shaun, no amount of injuries would keep him from being himself. And his first night back he decided to have a party for the football game playing tonight.

"Hey Thomas, move your skinny ass outta the way, I hate having poles block my view of the television." Shaun joked and Thomas threw a pen at him.

"Shut up fat ass. You know you wish you had my pole like appearance." He struck a diva pose and Shaun chucked a pillow at him. Deven laughed and threw one at Thomas also, just for the Hell of it. Thomas stomped out of the room good-naturedly and went out onto the back porch to get Riley.

"Come punish the boys! They're being mean!" he whined and Riley shook her head.

"You guys are too much sometimes." She put out her cigarette and went back into the house. "So who all is comin over tonight?"

"The usual. Plus Marty, Joey, Dave, Brittany, Porsche, and Kristine."

"No. You can't. Brittany and Porsche can't be in the same room since Porsche cheated on Brittany with Marty, and then Marty cheated with Kristine, who in turn was cheating on Dave, Marty's best friend." Riley informed them and handed them two bowls of popcorn they were planning on eating for the movie they were about to watch.

"So the only one safe to come is Joey?"

"Not unless you wanna see him and Deven get into a rumble of their own." CJ piped up.

"What's up with you and Joey?" Jon asked as he came into the room.

"Uh oh. Jon's watchin the movie too, better make three more bags of popcorn Ry." Shaun joked.

"Fuck you." Jon threw a chip at Shaun, who in turn only laughed.

"Seriously, what's up with Joey and Deven?" Jon asked looking around the room, but no one who knew was talking.

"Guys?" Riley asked and Troy wandered into the room. "Hey troy, do you know what's up between Deven and Joey?"

"Yes I do, ever since Joey made a pass at you he and Deven can't be in the same room without going at it." Troy informed them and pulled his lime green scarf tighter around his neck.

"Are you hiding something Troy?" CJ asked smiling.

"No." Troy lied and Riley quickly yanked off the scarf to reveal a hickey.

"Ah! Love bite!" Shaun yelled. "Oh, speaking of love bites and people Deven can't stand, I want to invite Nick tonight." The room dropped eerily silent as everyone waited for either Deven or Riley to protest. "Ry...?"

"I heard you." She called from the kitchen.

"So..."

"You don't need my permission." She replied.

"We need his number though."

"That's easy, 911." Deven shot and Riley rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, you dumbasses go ahead and call 911 and invite Nick Stokes over to the party tonight. We'll see how that goes, and for the record, I'm not bailing any of you out of jail...again." She smirked into her glass of juice as they all moaned and rolled their eyes.

"Seriously Ry, can I invite him?"

"I don't give a fuck Shaun; do what you want as long as it doesn't involve strippers and donkeys..." The all threw pillows and popcorn at her as she walked up the stairs to Kiersten's room. "Kit! I need you." She called and Kiersten opened her door.

"What is it Chica?" The concerned blonde asked.

"The boys are planning a party; they're inviting Marty, Joey, Dave, Porsche, Brittany, and Kristine."

"Uh oh...that won't be good."

"Did you know about the feud between Joey and Deven?"

"No...But I'm kinda getting a hint."

"Joey made a pass at me and now Deven can't stand him."

Kit rolled her eyes. "That boy will be the death of us."

"That isn't even the worst part."

"What?"

"Guess who else they're inviting."

"Um...Mother Teresa?"

"No, but that would be interesting...they're inviting Nick."

She gasped. "One-night-stand Nick?" Riley nodded. "I told you, fate."

"No, they seem to really like him...although I don't know why, they hate the law and anything associated with it."

"Maybe Shaun's grateful that Nick helped catch the bastard that did that to him..."

"Or he wants to see a Royal Rumble. Anyway, what do you say you, Porsche, Brit, Kristine, and I all haul ass to the mall instead of the game?"

"You're avoiding Nick."

"Am not."

"Ry, you've had this game marked on your calendar for months...I don't even think a shoe sale would tear you away from it. You are _so_ avoiding Nick."

"Whatever. Are you in or not?"

"Nope. And I can guarantee Brit and Porsche won't want to go with each other...so good luck with that."

Riley sighed in defeat. "It's gonna be awkward."

"More so than a few weeks ago at the hospital?"

"Hell yeah."

"Relax Hon, he probably won't even show up..."

Riley moaned anyway, "How do you deal with a one-night-stand that keeps popping up everywhere?"

"Maybe it's a sign."

"Yeah, a sign to find new friends and casual sex." Riley joked as she walked into her room to try and catch some sleep before the game tonight.

* * *

Riley walked out of her room and down the stairs to see a bunch of people already settling in. She moaned and rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?" She asked. 

"About 6:35. The game should start in about a half hour." Jon called after her as she walked into the kitchen. She saw someone bent over and reaching for something in the fridge.

"Hey, whichever heathen you are, don't drink all my Kahlua." Riley said and waited for them to move out of her way. Her jaw dropped when she came face to face with her re-appearing _'casualty'_. "Oh..."

"Uh...hi." He said awkwardly and moved past her to take the beer to the people in the living room. Riley snatched a Kahlua and practically ran up to her room and closed the door behind her.

"Yeah...not show up my ass." She muttered and cautiously stepped into the hallway, in search of Kiersten. That girl was so dead. She stormed into Kiersten's room and saw it was empty; a note lay on her pillow though.

_Hey Chica, _

_Porsche, Brit, Kristine, and I all headed out to the mall...you looked so cute sleeping we decided not to wake you... :) Go back down stairs, suck it up, and cheer our team on! Just ignore Nick if you have to, ignore him, Deven, and Joey...hell just sit there and pretend it's just us girls watchin the game! Oh! And don't even think about bailing, the guys were told to turn over their keys to us (no way is anyone else getting into a car accident because of drinking and driving) and we took your car, you're stranded. So deal Chica. _

_Love ya bunches, _

_Kiersten _

Riley sighed and threw the note back down on the bed. She walked into her room and got out her football jersey, and slid it over her cami shirt. She pulled her hair up in a messy bun and slid out of her boxers, and into some jeans. Figuring make-up was pointless she wandered back down stairs and slipped outside for a relaxing smoke.

She hadn't been out there two minutes until the door opened and closed, letting her know someone had joined her. Nick came into her view and she forced a smile. She nodded slightly. "Hey..."

"Hi Riley." he said and sat down.

"Mind if I smoke?" He shook his head. "You want one?" She drawled.

"Nah, I'm good."

"You sure?"

"No thanks." He said and she shrugged and popped one in her mouth.

"So, how'd they find your number? Did they call your work?"

Nick chuckled, "No, I think they looked me up..."

"Ah. I'm just glad they weren't serious about calling 911 and asking you to the party..." She realized that had come out wrong and she blushed. "I mean...I-I was goin to say-"

"It's okay Riley." He said chuckling and she blushed more. "I know what you were trying to say..."

They were quiet for a moment, until they heard Jet coming from the living room. Riley smiled and peered into the house through the glass door. She saw Thomas dancing to Cold Hard Bitch, his bright green hair freshly painted for the game.

Riley quickly finished her cigarette and stood up. "You wanna come in and watch the guys make asses out of themselves?" She asked and Nick nodded.

They walked back into the house and were greeted by Marty. "Wait, hang on." He ordered and looked over them both. He smiled in satisfaction and the stud under his lip clicked against his teeth. "Good news Shaun!" He called, "No love bites!"

Riley punched his arm and shook her head. "Does everybody know my business?" She grumbled and went into the cooler to grab a Diet Pepsi.

"Yeah well, news travels fast." Dave sneered. Riley rolled her eyes.

"And all my girl friends deserted me...I'm stuck with all these men and Thomas..." She joked and Thomas shrugged, not seeming the least bit offended. She chuckled and tossed him a Diet Pepsi. "Eh, we're the best girls anyway Thomas." She joked and everyone laughed.

Just then, Joey walked down the stairs and smiled at Riley, His jet black hair falling into his eyes, he looked just like his older brother, Marty, but less muscular and shorter, without the lip ring. "Hey Ry." He greeted and she flashed him a smile.

"Hey Joey."

"Oooohh! Sexual Tension!" Jabari joked and Riley shot him a glare.

"Shut up Jabari, how would you know what sexual tension is? It's not like you've ever experienced it." She replied, a smirk creeping up on her face.

"Burn!" Shaun exclaimed and Jabari rolled his eyes.

"Sucker play."

"Ah, now sucking is your area of expertise." She joked.

"Double burn!" Shaun exclaimed gaining more laughter from everybody.

"Hello, if you ladies are done now, the game is starting." Jon informed them, and everyone sat down to watch it. Riley sat on the floor next to Deven's recliner, an old habit for football games. Nick sat next to her, as Shaun sat in the other lazy boy and Pot Roast, Jabari, Thomas, and CJ all sat on the couch. Marty, Dave, Joey, and Jon had all pulled up chairs to sit on the other side of the coffee table, to Nick's left.

* * *

"Come on! That's a fuckin pussy call!" Riley exclaimed at the referee, Nick couldn't help but smile at the un-lady like outburst, and how all the other men were completely used to it. 

"Pick up the damn ball you dumbass!" Deven yelled.

"Get your ass back on the field! Get 22 in!" Pot Roast exclaimed.

"Go! Go for it! Run faster!" Thomas cheered.

"_Touch down!"_ The announcer called and everyone in the house, except for Shaun, stood up and gave high fives or manly hugs.

Everyone cleared out of the room for pass-time and filed outside for cigarettes. Shaun hobbled over on his crutches and snuck a cigarette from Riley's pack.

"Shaun! Put that back! You can't have cigarettes!" Riley scolded, and everyone mocked him and how he had been scolded by the baby of the room. Riley smiled at the ribbings they were giving him and leaned against the brick wall. Nick leaned against it next to her and snatched the cigarette from her mouth and took a drag. She frowned playfully, and snatched it back. "You can have one if you want, just don't take the one in my mouth."

"Nope. I want the one in your mouth." Nick replied.

She smirked and shook her head. "I think you've had a few too many beers."

"I only had four." He replied and she shrugged.

"Whatever, you're still drunk."

"No, _I'm_ drunk." Deven replied and leaned next to her. "Ry, there's somethin on your neck."

"Get it off." She said and Deven leaned down and quickly started kissing her neck. She squealed in protest, but by the time she could get his suction cup lips off of her neck, he had already given her a hickey. "Damn boy...I think we should change your name to Hoover." She replied and rubbed her neck and the sensitive area he had claimed. Everyone laughed, and Deven just plopped down in the lawn chair, semi-satisfied.

Nick didn't bother to hide the jealousy he felt, and shot a glare at Deven.

The looked didn't go unnoticed on Tony, who responded with a prompt, "Oooohh! _Someone's_ jealous!"

Riley blushed and rolled her eyes. "You guys are some of the biggest dumbasses I've ever had the pleasure of knowing." She replied mock-dramatically.

Nick shook his head and leaned back against the wall. "Yeah, ya'll are pretty weird."

"Why thank you. I take that as a compliment." Shaun said and everyone shook their heads.

"Let's go see if pass time's over." Riley said and they all filed into the house. Sure enough, it was just starting back into the game when everyone was settled down.

* * *

It was nearing the end of the game, there was only one touch down to go and their team would win. 

"Come on...come on!" Riley begged as they football players ran down the field. "Come on! Haul ass!"

"Bring it home man! Come on!" Nick cheered.

Everyone else cheered and chanted as they scored the winning touch down. Everyone cheered and whopped and hollered. "Okay, everyone, since we're all shit faced, everyone's crashin here. Kiersten said we can use her room since her and the girls got a hotel. Everyone to your rooms!"

"Ooh, I love it when you order me around." Shaun said and licked his lips as he looked seductively at Riley. She rolled her eyes. Go to sleep Shaun, you're the only on who isn't shit faced, yet you're acting the drunkest of all."

A few minutes later everyone was sleeping in different rooms or on the couches in the back of the house, while Nick and Riley cleaned up the living room, working their way around Tony passed out on the couch.

Once it was clean Nick and Riley looked around. "Where am I sleeping?" Nick asked his accent thicker with all of the alcohol. She frowned and looked around, realizing she hadn't left a place for Nick to sleep. "I can drive home so-"

"No, I'm not risking you getting in an accident." Riley said and Nick sighed. He knew the only other place to sleep was in her bed, and with all the sexual tension lately, and the alcohol, there would definitely be some 'physical activity'. But Nick wasn't sure if sex was a good idea. He wasn't sure if Riley was ready for that.

She looked him in the eye, practically reading his mind. She stared a moment, before she turned and they walked up the stairs. She led him to the end of the hallway and opened her door, both of them slipping into the darkened room. "Riley..." Nick began and he could see her silhouette against the soft moon light pouring in though the window. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" He asked and he could hear the wheels turning in her head.

She stepped closer to him and pushed him softly against the door, planting a kiss on his lips. He started kissing her back and let his hands wander to her hips, to pull her closer to him. He picked her up and walked her over to the bed, laying her down before continuing to kiss her. He pulled back and slowly pulled the jersey above her head. She smiled as he took his time, kissing her neck, noting that he avoided the area Deven had left his mark on earlier. Riley reached down and grabbed the bottom of his shirt, pulling it over his head and discarding it to the floor.

She leaned up to kiss his pecks and frowned when she saw a thin, barely visible scar across his chest. She ran her fingers over it softly and planted a trail of kisses along it. Nick watched her do so and buried his fingers in the spiral curls that made up her red mane. She kissed her way back up his chest, neck, jaw, and then to his lips again. Nick's hand traveled down her stomach and undid the button of her jeans and slowly slid them off of her. He grabbed her long leg and began kissing his way from her hip, all the way to her ankle. He did the same with the other leg and she giggled nervously.

"What?" He whispered, smiling at her.

She giggled again and buried her face in her hand. "I'm...I'm nervous but I don't know why..."

She giggled again and planted her lips firmly against his to silence herself. She unbuttoned his pants and slid them down his hips. He slid his hands up her shirt to push it off her as he did do. He smirked at the black lace bra and panties set. "I didn't think you were the kinda girl to match."

She chuckled. "Well what's up with you...Scooby Doo? Seriously, Scooby Doo boxers?"

"What? He's a fellow investigator." He mumbled while smiling and she kissed and sucked at his neck, tickling him with her tongue. "Zoinks." Nick said in a cracked voice and she broke away giggling.

"Stop making me laugh..." She said rolling over partially. Nick was still hovering above her and he grabbed her hip gently and rolled her over on her back. He dipped his head down to claim her still restricted breast with his mouth. She bit her lip and arched her back so he could undo the clasp of her bra. He discarded the lacey garment to the floor and pulled back to look at her and let his eyes take in the form of her well defined, yet feminine physique. She stifled another giggle and pulled him by the arm so that his body covered hers. She toyed with the band of his Scooby Doo boxers and chuckled as she pushed them down his body to expose him completely.

She rolled over again and felt around her night stand for a box of condoms. She moaned when she found none. "Hang on, Shaun just bought some, they should be in his room." She snatched up her robe and threw it on while Nick shook his head in disbelief.

"Damn, that guy has a broken leg and he's still gettin some?" Nick drawled and Riley chuckled.

"Yeah well, that's Shaun. But hey, a good screw can do wonders for a wounded physique." She whispered back and slipped out of the room. Nick waited for a few minutes, and she soon returned, the box in hand. She crawled back on the bed and pulled out a condom. She unwrapped it and slid it on him slowly, and teasingly. Nick's breath became jagged and he pulled on the sash of her robe and pushed it off her shoulders. They were still on their knees when he slowly laid her back down on the mattress and hovered above her as he slid her panties off with one hand, then dipped a finger inside of her. She gasped and arched her back in surprise as he slipped another finger in and fingered her clitoris. She gasped again and bit his shoulder to keep from calling out his name. He winced, but relished in the effect he was having on her. He pulled his fingers out and replaced them with his large member.

She moaned and dug her nails into his shoulders, slowly sliding them down his back, and they bit into his skin. He moved his hips into hers and squeezed her hips tighter to control his moans. His name escaped her throat in a jagged moan and Nick felt his body surge. He soon after emptied himself within her and then rested his body on top of hers, careful not to crush her. She moaned as he pulled himself out of her and rolled over, discarding the condom. She slid over next to him and he pulled her partially on top of his chest. She sighed in satisfaction and looked up at him, beginning to giggle again.

"What are you gigglin about now?" Nick asked, his accent thick.

"Scooby Doo." Was all she said. Nick's jaw dropped.

"Where you thinkin about Scooby when we...?"

She shook her head, "No. I was thinkin about you, but Scooby just crept back into my mind." She continued giggling and Nick rolled his eyes.

"Leave my boxers alone." He said chuckling and she braced herself slightly above him to plant a soft kiss on his lips. She pulled away and Nick pushed a tendril from her face. "What is this?"

"A curl." She answered, looking at him oddly.

"No, I mean this." He gestured around them and she looked at him confused.

"The bed?"

"No." He said chuckling in exasperation. "See I use to think you were smart..."

"Alright, Nick, I just had amazing sex, the biggest thing on my mind is, well you and your Scooby Doo boxers." She chuckled briefly.

"I mean us..." He said seriously. "How come you said 'no' to the date, yet you'll sleep with me?"

She paused and let out a sigh. "Well, I hadn't heard from you for two months, which is fine, but then all of the sudden you show up outta no where and ask me on a date while I was working...I was a little bit freaked out." Nick winced a little, realizing how stupid he must have sounded. "And technically I didn't say no, I said it wasn't a good idea."

"Why?"

"Because...you've seen how...you know how crazy my life is on its own. And how," She paused and bit her lip. "How protective Deven can be...he's just...he won't let go. And then the shit with Joey happened, and now he's got it out for one of his good friends. I just...I know its selfish, but I don't think I could handle it if I had to worry about the two of you all the time."

"You wouldn't have to worry about me."

"But I'd have to worry about him. Joey copped a feel last week and now Deven can't stand him. He tried to start somethin with him but luckily Joey was smart enough to back off."

"Except for today."

"Exactly. But I can't just...not hang around Deven. I've known him for about fifteen years...he's in my life. He was the one who basically started this entire thing, this group, he and Shaun were the 'originals'. Then they met Pot Roast, then Kit and I, then Toney and so on and so forth we all basically traveled around the Southern US pickin each other up along the way. We're all stuck together. That's why I can't just not be friends with any of them."

"I wouldn't ask you to do that...and I know it would be hard for you...but don't you at least wanna see what happens. We wouldn't have to say anything to anyone if you don't want to. I probably won't, but of course my friends are all investigators so they'll probably figure it out."

"True, but they won't know who. We don't exactly run in the same circles."

Nick chuckled. "Are you callin me old?"

"No, old is like...50-60, well technically that's middle aged but still...I'm saying we're different Mr. Stokes. The police officer and the delinquent."

"I'm not a police officer, and you're not a delinquent." He stated as she moved closed to him and was now laying on top of him.

"Not that you know of..." She said waggling her eyebrows. He merely rolled her eyes.

"Ry..." He began chuckling.

"I was a wild child."

"So was I."

"Did you do drugs?"

"Did you?"

"Typical That 70s Show stuff."

"What?"

"That 70s Show."

"Well, what's the name of the show?"

She laughed. "The name is, That 70s Show...haven't you ever seen it?" He shook his head. "It's basically a bunch of teenagers hangin out in the 70s doin what they did in the 70s. If my friends and I had a show about our lives, that would be it. So, it's a bunch of kids who weren't alive to experience the 70s, experiencing the 70s in the 90s."

He shook his head. "You were bad."

"Yep, but I didn't sleep around."

Nick laughed. "That's the one thing I did."

"Player?"

"Hell no, never two girls at once...I wasn't in a relationship with a girl long enough to do that."

"So...what, you pulled the ol' 'Love 'em and leave 'em'?" She drawled and Nick nodded.

"Yep."

She chuckled. "See, we are very different, we didn't even do the same things we weren't supposed to do...I have a question."

"No." He answered, knowing very well what it was going to be.

She laughed. "What's your magic number?"

"No." He answered while laughing.

"Come on."

"Nope. It's too big a number."

She chuckled again. "Damn boy...can't you ball park it?"

"Well, it's less than a ball park. Probably less than half."

"_Probably_..."

"Well I don't know. College and high school were the worst, then the christening of Viva Las Vegas...I never kept count."

"Different girl every night?"

"Different girl, not every night."

"Did you ever sleep with someone twice and not realize you had slept with them before?"

"Yeah, a couple times." Nick said laughing in embarrassment. She chuckled and shook her head.

"Who was your first?"

Nick's eyes darkened a bit, but thanks to lack of light, Riley didn't notice it. Figuring the truth would be a bit harsh for pillow talk, Nick opted for the less traumatic one. "Uh, Caroline Dreas." Wanting to change the subject, Nick asked about her. "What's your number?"

"Uh..." She began, laughing a little. "Including you?" He nodded and awaited her answer. "Um...2."

Nick dropped his jaw. "2!" Riley quickly covered his mouth with her hand and waited nervously to see if anyone stirred. When no one did, she took her hand away from his mouth. "2?" Nick whispered in shock. And suddenly it hit him. "Deven was..." She nodded softly. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"And I was the first since..." She nodded again. "Oh."

After a few moments of silence Riley spoke nervously, "Wow, I sure know how to kill the pillow talk mood huh?" She chuckled briefly.

"Nah...that's cool."

"Cool?"

"Well yeah, if I could, I'd go back and not sleep with a lot of the women I slept with."

She chuckled. "Including the thing from the swamp?" She asked and Nick smiled.

_Damn...he has got a **killer** smile. Perfect teeth, adorable dimples, sparkling eyes, damn..._

"Yeah, she's in the top five." Nick professed and Riley chuckled. She propped her head up on her fist, resting her elbow softly on Nick's bare chest.

"Okay, for a quick change of subject, explain to me your job."

Nick pulled the sheet up to the small of her back and began stroking her sides while thinking. "Well, basically, after a crime is committed, they call us over and we go collect the evidence, and try to decipher what happened."

"So...you're like a scientist."

"Copologist." Nick corrected and she chuckled. "But you had it right before, _Forensic_ scientists."

"Oh."

"So explain to me your job. It's very confusing." Nick furred his brows, trying to act serious, but the smile made its way to his face.

"Are you making fun of my job?"

"No."

"I make a lot of money doin what I do." She said smiling. "Basically I pour beer, calm down the crowd when they get outta hand and keep the boys entertained."

"Like Coyote Ugly?"

She laughed, "Yeah, pretty much. Except, I don't think I dance on the bar as much as they do..." She drawled.

"But you have danced on the bar?" Nick asked, smiling deviously.

"Yes." She answered and Nick waggled his eyebrows.

"That is so hot." Nick admitted and she laughed.

"What is it about a girl dancin on a bar that guys like?"

"Okay, Darlin, I've seen your uniform, its hot. So you get a hot girl, wearin a hot little outfit, dancin on a bar with beer, and football on in the background...it's like..."

"Orgasmic." She offered and Nick laughed while shaking his head.

"Yeah, pretty much."

She laughed. "Now, I thought all guys loved three things, sex, heists, and monkeys."

"What?"

"The comedian Dane Cook said that a girl once said that all guys want is sex, but he said she was wrong. If a guy had a choice between sex and this one other thing, they'd pick the other thing...which was to be part of a heist. And that when a guy watches Heat he says he wants to be part of a heist so bad. But more than being part of a heist, all guys want a monkey."

Nick merely laughed, "Not me. If I was part of a heist my friends would end up investigating it."

"Not if they were part of it, think, a bunch of investigators in a heist...no one would be able to catch them, they'd be too smart. You could probably kill someone and get away with it."

Nick laughed, "Probably. My female co-workers, Sara and Catherine, they're always threatenin me and the rest of the guys..." Nick drawled and Riley laughed.

"I can so picture that...even though I don't know who Catherine or any of your guy friends are."

Nick chuckled. "They're pretty cool. They are no where near as crazy as your friends, no offense, but they rock."

"Hey, no offense taken. I'm glad there isn't anyone else like us out there...I don't think the world could handle it."

it was then that they heard Fall Out Boy being blasted from the speakers down stairs. Riley quickly covered her ears and grabbed her robe. "Shit! Stay here!" She told Nick and ran down the stairs. He could hear several people get out of their rooms to find out what was going on. Nick threw on his boxers and snuck to the door to peak out the crack, knowing it was probably a bad idea to be seen coming out of Riley's room in the middle of the night in nothing but boxers. "What the fuck Tony?" Riley exclaimed and the music abruptly turned off.

"I thought it was the light switch!" A very drunken Tony argued.

"How many times have you been here dumbass? You know better!"

"I'm drunk!" Tony argued and Riley's answer was softer this time.

"Why did you need the light?"

"I was thirsty."

"Jack ass! You woke us all up." Deven scolded, his words slurring slightly.

"Sorry..." Tony apologized, a few minutes later everyone had gone back to their rooms and Deven and Riley were whispering something downstairs. Deven and her appeared walking up the stairs, not saying anything. The tension between them was thick, and Nick snuck back to the bed. He heard Deven ask her something at the door and she sighed and mumbled something back. She opened the door just enough so she could slip through, and not enough so that Deven could see who was laying in her bed.

She walked back to the bed and chuckled softly at the sight of him. "Did you miss Scooby?" She whispered and Nick shrugged, figuring talking wouldn't be safe right now. She shed her robe and laid back in the bed with him. He pulled her close and planted a soft kiss on her lips before she snuggled into him. A few minutes later she had drifted off to sleep, but Nick was still wide awake.

He couldn't help but wondering what Deven had asked her, and what her answer was to the question he asked earlier about their relationship and what they were at the moment. He laid there for almost an hour before Riley said anything. "What are you thinking about?" She whispered and Nick looked at the top of her head, confused.

"I thought you were sleeping."

"The wheels in your head woke me up." She joked when in reality she had been awake for a while. "What's on your mind Nick?"

He sighed and let his hands travel up and down her back lazily. "You didn't answer my question from earlier..."

"About..."

"What's going on here."

She sighed softly. "That's because I don't have an answer yet...if we did this...we'd have to keep it quiet. I don't want a bunch of shit starting right off the bat."

"So...what, is that a yes? Will you go out with me?"

She chuckled. "You make it sound like we're back in high school."

"Sorry...but, you know, we could try it. We could keep it on the D.L. and then...if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. It's only dinner."

She smiled and sat up, so that she was now straddling him. "Okay." She finally answered.

"Okay? Yes?"

"That's what I meant by okay." She said smiling and leaned down to kiss him. She felt him react to her almost immediately. He brought his hands from her sides, to her chest, as he dragged his hands down over her bare breasts and to her stomach. She chuckled and flattened herself against him so that she could shove down his boxers. She chuckled and kissed his neck, nibbling at his soft flesh.

She slowly dragged her body against him, into a sitting position. She reached over and grabbed the box and held it up in front of him, smiling and waggling her eyebrows.

"Ruh Roh." Nick said in a Scooby Doo voice, a boyish grin on his face, eliciting a laugh from Riley.

* * *

_Alright, that chapter was longer than I intended, but I got carried away...so here we go..._

_Reviews make me giddy._

_-Chella Belle_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_(The next morning) _

Nick inhaled deeply, catching the scent of Daisies in his nostrils. He opened his eyes and saw a mass of red tendrils strewn about on his chest. He picked up one and began twirling it on his finger gently, so as not to disturb Riley. He felt her shift and drape her arm across his waist, pulling his naked body closer to her. Nick smiled and laid his head back down on the pillow, thinking back to the night before and their continuous work out. The thought of that made his stomach growl in a different kind of hunger and he opened his eyes to see Riley's beautiful baby blues sparkling back at him.

A wild grin spread across his face and he released her curl from his grasp. He smiled and went to kiss her until she moved her head out of the way. "I have morning breath." She explained and Nick smiled.

"So go brush your teeth."

She crawled away, smiling. "I have a spare tooth brush if you need it." She offered, her voice barely above a whisper. He nodded and climbed out of the bed, throwing on his Scooby Doo boxers in the process. She chuckled as they crossed the room to the bathroom she had all to herself.

"Your lucky, a bathroom all to yourself when you live in a house full of the opposite sex."

She snickered. "Yeah, Thomas and Kiersten share a bathroom, and the rest of the guys have to duke it out between the two other bathrooms."

"How did you end up as the only one with a bathroom to their self?"

"I bring in the most money." She explained and handed him the unopened toothbrush. He smiled and unwrapped it, and they began brushing their teeth. Nick's eyes kept flickering to her lips as she brushed her teeth. As soon as she moved her toothbrush out of the way Nick seized his moment and quickly captured her lips in a minty, toothpaste filled, kiss. She chuckled as he did so but kissed him back. He pulled back smiling, spitting into the sink.

"Sorry...I couldn't wait."

She chuckled and spit into the sink, not saying anything, merely smiling and shaking her head. "You want breakfast?"

Nick looked into the other room, his eyes searching for the alarm clock, and he grimaced when saw the time. "Damn...no, I can't. I gotta head home. I have to be at work in about eight hours, I still have paperwork I gotta finish up before I head in though."

She gave a sad smile but nodded. "Alright."

"I'll call you when I get off of work, we can meet for breakfast." Nick replied and she nodded. They exited the bathroom and Nick rummaged around the room in search of his clothes. She helped him find them, then slid into a pair of plaid sweats and a Dallas Cowboys T-shirt. Nick smiled at her after he was dressed and she pushed her finger to her lips in a gesture for him to be quiet. She opened her door and peeked out before they cautiously exited and walked down the stairs.

She smiled as she looked over at Tony, still passed out on the couch. She chuckled as they reached the front door and she turned to kiss Nick before he left. Nick's hands dropped to her waist and brought her closer to him. She pulled away after a few moments, and her eyes flickered to make sure Tony was still sleeping. She smiled at Nick until his eyes focused on something behind her and a mixture of embarrassment and worry crossed his face. Riley spun around to see what he was looking at and let out a bated breath when she saw it was only Kiersten.

Kiersten smirked and raised her eyebrow. "I take it the home team won." Kiersten stated, her form of saying,_ I think you two just had sex._ She saw the blushes creep up on their cheeks, and Nick's hands on her waist and her grin grew. "Oh yeah, home team scored big."

Riley rolled her eyes. "Excuse me Kit." She brushed passed her as she and Nick walked to the front door. She jotted her number on his hand and smiled at him.

"I'll call you." He said and leaned in to kiss her, but caught himself. He pecked her cheek and practically bolted out the door. Riley reluctantly turned around to face her friend's smiling face.

"Don't even start."

"Oh my God. You re-slept with your one-night-stand." Kit accused and Riley was reminded of their conversation the night before. "Details." She demanded as Riley walked into the kitchen.

"No."

"Yes."

"Kit..."

"Ry...Come on," She said pulling her to the hallway so they could go in the backyard and have a cigarette. "Please."

She sighed and immediately lit up a cigarette. "There isn't anything to tell."

"Liar. Come on Ry...who else are you gonna tell this to."

"No one else is gonna know, you got that? Keep your mouth shut." Riley drawled.

"Well, they'll soon figure it out, thanks to that massive hickey on your neck." Kit pointed to the object in question.

"No, this is from Deven."

"What?"

Riley rolled her eyes and waved away the comment. "He got plastered last night and gave me a hickey before I could stop him...you remember when we were dating...I looked like a fuckin leopard."

Kit chuckled. "Alright...but what about that kiss on the cheek shit and, 'I'll call you later...'?"

Riley sighed when she realized there was no way out of this. "The guys invited him last night...and it was awkward at first...but then, we kinda relaxed, more than likely thanks to the beer, but after the game we were all hammered and no one could drive home. I forgot to set aside a place for Nick to sleep, as dumb as that sounds it actually happened so don't start with me," Riley demanded, silencing Kit's comment. "So he stayed with me."

"And..."

"And..." Riley re-stated.

"How was it?"

"How was what?" Riley asked, playing dumb.

Kit shot her a 'you-know-what-I'm-talking-about' look and rolled her eyes. "The beer...the _sex_ Riley! How was the sex?"

Riley opened her mouth to say something, but ended up just shaking her head, and smiling with her mouth open like an idiot. She finally took another hit from her cigarette and sighed, sitting back. A goofy grin spread across her face. "Amazing." She breathed, releasing the smoke from her body.

Kiersten smiled and nodded. "Nice. So..."

"So, then we ended up talking."

"About what?"

"Well...we talked about...his boxers." Riley admitted smiling.

"What?" Kiersten asked and shook her head.

"His boxers, they were the cutest thing Kit. They were Scooby Doo."

"No."

"Yeah, they were so adorable, after we were done I couldn't stop giggling. He said that they were '_fellow investigators'_. So then he asked me about us..."

"Oooh. Not cool."

"Well, I said I didn't think starting anything was smart because of Deven, and the whole Joey disaster and I didn't want that to happen with Nick. So he said I didn't have to worry about that, then we talked about how different we were..."

"The police officer and the delinquent."

"That's what I said, but he said he was a forensic scientist and I was a bartender, not a delinquent. So we talked about how we all used to do drugs, and when we were younger we were basically just like the kids of That 70s Show, just living in a different time. And then I asked him his magic number..."

"Oh man, what's the damage?"

"Probably less than half a ball park."

"Fuck."

"No, he's done enough of that for the both of us." Riley quipped and Kit laughed.

"So...did you tell him..."

"That the only guys I've been with are him and Deven? Yeah..."

"What'd he say?"

"He thought it was cool. So then I changed the subject and he explained his job, then cracked a joke about me being like Coyote Ugly, except I didn't dance on the bar as much as them. So I asked what was so hot about girls on bars, he gave a few jokes, we talked about Dane Cook, and how crazy all of you guys are..."

Kiersten laughed. "Thomas called this morning and said that Tony got up last night and accidentally started blasting Fall Out Boy at like 3 in the morning."

"Yeah, so after that I dozed off, but he accidentally woke me up and he asked me about us again..."

"Shit. He's a relentless little son of a bitch huh?"

"Yes...so we finally decided to keep it on the down low. So..."

"So...what?" She gasped. "You had sex again!"

Riley chuckled and nodded. "Yeah."

"And how was the second round?"

Riley smiled and bit her lip. "He might have slept with a lot of girls...but Kit, it paid off **big time**! He knows what he's doin even when_ I'm_ takin the lead." She admitted and they laughed for a while.

"So then what?"

"We talked more about music and what we each like. Then about our families and his friends. And then uh...we did it again."

"Damn Riley! How many times?"

"Well, after the third round we talked more, then went at it again and finally fell asleep."

"Holy shit...I don't think you've had a fuck-a-thon like that since Deven..."

"That's cause I haven't had sex since Deven."

"So what, are you two goin out now?"

"Well, he's callin me after work so we can go out for breakfast."

"Oh my God Ry..."

"What?" She asked, lighting another cigarette.

"You had 'the night'!"

"What, what night?"

"The night! Where you stay up all night and talk about each other and realize your feelings..."

"Uh, we spent half the night talkin and half the night fuckin..."

"Even better! You know you connect on a physical level too."

"Kit, don't I've only hung out with the guy twice."

"So...Riley-"

"Don't do it Kiersten." Riley warned and finished her cigarette. "I'm goin to catch some Z's before work."

"Yeah, you didn't sleep much last night..."

Riley shot her a look. "Say anything and you're dead."

"My lips are sealed."

* * *

Nick had his back to the locker room door as he laced up his boots and pulled the pant leg down over them. Warrick walked into the room and glanced at the Texan for a minute before making his presence known by clearing his throat. "Hey Man." Warrick greeted as he began unbuttoning his shirt to exchange it for a clean one.

Nick turned his head partially to the left to only half glance at Warrick. "Hey Boss." He drawled and Warrick looked back at him.

"How was your weekend?"

Nick groaned inwardly, not wanting to have to deal with questions already. "It was good. How 'bout you?"

"It was good...Tina went out with the girls." Warrick supplied and Nick grimaced, he knew the only reason Warrick told him 'Tina went out with the girls' was because he had the house to himself and had intended to invite Nick over..."You catch the game last night?"

"Uh, yeah." Nick answered feeling guilty that his best friend couldn't get a hold of him when he probably wanted to talk.

"At a friend's house?" Warrick asked with a hint of jealousy in his voice. That made Nick crack a small smile, he hadn't realized how envious his friend could be.

"Yeah...at a friends house."

They were silent for a moment as Nick stood up and pulled off his shirt to exchange for a new one. Warrick turned his head to ask Nick another question when his attention was drawn to the long scratches on Nick's back. Warrick felt his face burst into a smile and he stuck his tongue in his cheek to keep from laughing. "You uh...you get into a fight?"

Nick turned to face his friend in confusion, when Warrick caught sight of the large hickey on his chest. He didn't bother to stifle his laughter this time. "What?"

"Oh man Nicky..." He said in between chuckles and pointed to his chest. "You got a hickey."

Nick's eyes widened and he looked down at his chest quickly. He turned to hide it, once again exposing the artwork on his back and bite mark on his shoulder.

"Jesus man...you sure took one helluva beating..."

Nick didn't answer.

"Did your friend have a cat?"

Nick pulled a shirt over his body and shut his locker. "Leave it." Nick said in his 'don't-mess-with-me' voice. Warrick chuckled and shook his head as he buttoned up the midnight blue shirt.

"Whose handy work is that?" Warrick called before Nick reached the door.

Nick stopped but didn't look back. "My friend's cat." He couldn't hide the laughter in his voice, and Warrick chuckled freely now.

Nick shook his head, chuckling, not too worried that Warrick would spill on his personal life. He was too cool for that. He might even back off on Nick...at least about getting out more. As for how he was spending his free-time with the 'cat'...

That was one subject Nick predicted would come up frequently in the near future.

Nick shook his head and walked into the break room, wanting to get the shift done and over with so he could have his breakfast date with Riley...

* * *

Nick walked Riley to her car after their date was over. He wanted to take her in his car and then walk her to her door so they would have more time to talk, but he didn't want to risk anyone seeing them. She paused when she reached her Corolla and turned to smile at him.

"I had fun Nicky..." She said softly while flashing an innocent smile.

Nick smiled back and nodded. "Me too..." He wanted to ask her for another date, but was worried about her reaction. Her smile grew and she shook her head slightly.

"Ask it Nick."

He blushed at how well she could read him. "Would you go on another date with me?"

_God, I feel like I'm back in seventh grade asking the prettiest girl in the class to eat lunch at my table..._

She left him hanging in ambiguous agony before she cracked a smile. "Yes I would."

Nick released a breath he didn't know he was holding and his smile went from anxiety to delight. "Great. I um...how about the day after tomorrow? Same place, same time?"

She nodded and kissed his cheek. "Okay...I'll see you then."

And with that she turned and got in the car and drove off. Nick stood there, watching her and his hand went to his cheek. Such a chaste move made him feel so very giddy...especially coming from her. He furred his brow when he thought about it. How innocent she could be at some times, how she giggled continuously at the touch of his hands on her bare skin. His soft kisses on her shoulders and arms, legs, thighs, stomach.

Giggling and blushing as he kissed every inch of her, then sealing their date with an unblemished kiss on the cheek. Yet she could be so hard core, and a 'Redneck Woman' as Kiersten described her. The hard core bartender had disappeared when she had met him that morning, and was replaced by the soft, Southern belle he had met at the bar.

Just a few hours earlier when he had gone to the bar to pick her up from work, he had caught her telling Thomas a joke, wayward enough to make several male patrons at the bar blush in astonishment that such a sweet Southern Belle could udder such profane words in such an offensive joke. Yet, at certain times, like last night, she would blush and giggle profusely at his slightest touch. One of the boys, yet able to be such a girl.

She contradicted herself in so many terms, and it puzzled and floored him all at the same time. He shook his head as he walked back to his Denali and climbed behind the wheel, eager for their next date...yet oddly nervous. He'd been feeling that a lot lately.

_

* * *

Aww...isn't our little couple just so **cute**:)_

Reviews (like Chicken Soup) are good for the soul.

_-Chella_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_(2 months later) _

Riley walked into her house after her date with Nick. He had taken her to his house and cooked her breakfast instead of their usual tradition of break fast dates. After that they went out to catch the matinee at the local movie theater before she had to go back home. When she opened the door she saw CJ, Jon, Jabari, and Troy sitting on the couch. They looked up at her and a wicked smile graced all their faces.

"Where have you been young lady?" CJ teased in a fatherly voice. Riley rolled her eyes.

"Work." It wasn't exactly a lie. She _had _been at work...five hours ago.

"No...the bar closed at 4." Jon pointed out, not looking away from the television.

"I went out for breakfast." Riley called from the back of the house; she appeared from around the stairs and looked at the men curiously. "Where's Pot Roast?"

"He and Deven took Shaun to get his leg checked out."

"Oh...when did they leave?"

"A few hours ago. Your mail is on the counter." Jabari said absently. She looked through it and held her breath when the college's letter popped up. She turned it over and slowly opened it. The guys turned away from the television and looked at her in interest, each of them knowing what had arrived in the mail today.

She bit her lip and cautiously read the letter. Her eyes widened and a grin spread across her face. She looked up at the men and shook her head. "Who knew about this?"

They all raised their hands. "The college called, but when you weren't here, they decided to mail you the notice." Thomas explained and she ran over and jumped on the couch, hugging them all.

The front door opened and Shaun, Pot Roast, and Deven walked in on the scene. Shaun smiled and gasped. "Yes! Couch orgy!" He declared.

Riley pulled away smiling. "Dumbass, you realize I'm the only girl here right?"

"Who said I was including anyone else?" He joked waggling her eyebrows. She rolled her eyes and got off the couch, Jabari reluctantly letting go of her.

She shook her head. "No, I just got the letter from the college..."

"Did you pass?" Pot Roast asked getting excited.

"I passed!" She exclaimed and they all enveloped her in another hug.

"Good job Ry." Shaun said, pulling her into a tighter hug. She smiled and stepped out of their grasp.

"All I have to do is go see the Dean and then go to the hospital and give them my resume..."

"Aw, our little BRAT is all grown up." CJ joked, wiping an invisible tear from his eye, and Riley shot him a glare for the nickname they had given her.

"Yeah, yeah...now when are you couch potatoes gonna do the same?" They all moaned and turned their attention back to the television. Riley looked down at Shaun's cast. "How's it doin?"

"Eh, same ol' same ol'." Shaun replied and took off towards his room.

"Hey," Deven began and Riley turned to face him. "I uh...I have a surprise for you." He said softly and Riley raised her brow.

"What..."

"You uh...you have to go somewhere to see it." She looked at him suspiciously and he chuckled. "Down girl, not like that. I heard about the college thing early so...I helped you out a little."

"What? Dev what are you talkin about?"

"Just...just come on." He tugged on her hand and they went out the door.

* * *

"You ready?" Deven asked as he led her to the door, his hands covering her eyes.

"Yeah...I swear to God Deven if there's a bed in front of me..."

Deven chuckled and shook his head. "No...ready? One, two, three!" He took his hands away from her eyes and she blinked a few times before they focused on the car in front of her. She gasped and covered her mouth in shock.

"Oh my God." Was all she could manage. She slowly walked to the car and ran her hand along the new bright racing hemi-orange paint job of her 1969 Dodge Charger. The car had the racing numbers "01" on its side door and a replica of the Civil War rebel flag on its roof. It was an exact replication of the 'General Lee' from the Dukes of Hazard. "Oh my God Deven!" She finally yelled in joy. "Is this my baby?" She asked, referring to the car she had totaled a few years before. She had to put it in the shop, but never had all the money to fix it.

"Yeah. Personally I think you're insane for even considering driving this car around Viva Las Vegas but hey, you are insane." Deven teased while shrugging. She shook her head in astonishment and chuckled.

"Oh my God..."

"Yeah, you said that."

"Seriously...this is just...whoa." She looked at him and smiled. "Thank you so much." She replied and Deven shrugged modestly.

"No problem BRAT."

She chuckled and gave him a big hug, still astounded at his gesture. "Deven this is...this is amazing."

"I had about half the money put down when you started your last year of medical school. I paid 'em as they went to make sure they had it done by the time you finished school."

"What would you have done if I hadn't passed?" She asked curiously.

"I didn't think that would happen...you're too smart. But I would have given it to you to cheer you up." Deven replied hugging her a little tighter. She closed her eyes and smiled wider,

"Damn, I really do have the greatest friends ever." She said and Deven laughed.

"_Stop_, you'll over inflate my ego." He joked and she chuckled.

* * *

"Man, I can't believe we aren't getting anywhere with this missing persons..." Warrick replied, angry that they had been on this case for a few days, and so far, there was no sign of the missing wife. She had disappeared some time before dinner a few days earlier, and the husband called the police when she hadn't returned by midnight that night.

"I don't know Rick...maybe she doesn't want to be found...isn't that why most people to take off?"

"Yeah, when they're hiding and running." Warrick nodded, still frustrated but seeing where the Texan was coming from. "I just don't see why she would clean her car first...it just...I mean, it seems weird."

Nick shrugged as he and Warrick walked out of the back lot of the Hurricane Car Wash and Auto Shop. He slid on his sunglasses and looked around for any small clues or items leading to where the missing, Mrs. Williams could be. His eyes scanned some of the people in the car wash huts, people in line, and auto repair men. Two people standing in front of an exact replica of the General Lee, hugging. It wasn't the car that caught his attention...it was the fact that Riley and Deven were in a friendly embrace.

Nick felt his jaw tighten as he swallowed down the anger and jealousy rising in his throat.

_Whoa, calm down Stokes, they're friends...they're just friends...that are hugging, and standing **extremely** close to each other. _

His mind tried to calm him down with little success. He dragged his gaze away from them and tried to focus on the case and not the fact that his girlfriend was warmly cuddling with her ex.

_Stop it Nick, it's a hug. They're not cuddling, they're hugging. It's not like..._

His mind stopped shirt when he saw Deven hand her something and she jumped up and down in excitement and peck him on the cheek before running to the car. Nick's jaw hit the pavement, before he quickly picked it back up and tried to ignore the sound of his heart shattering into little pieces, before sinking impossibly low in his stomach. He felt the sting of jealousy creep into his gaze as he stormed into the passenger side of the Tahoe, in no mood to drive. He slammed the door and faced forward, not wanting to deal with anything Warrick might throw his way.

Nick's nails dug into his palm and he ground his teeth together behind his tightly drawn lips. This display wasn't lost on Warrick, and he looked at him in concern. "Nick...are you okay?"

"Fine." Nick lied through gritted teeth, his lips barely moving. Warrick raised his brow, but said nothing. Nick's entire demeanor was saying 'don't-mess-with-me' and Warrick decided to follow its advice. He nodded and turned forward, slowly looking around the area to see what had ticked Nick off so much.

He saw a mother pushing her two kids in a stroller, while balancing one on her hip, a couple auto men joking around while fixing a car, a couple hugging in front of the Dukes of Hazard car, a chubby man walking out of the lobby of the auto shop, wiping the sweat away from his forehead, and climbing into his car...nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

What had pissed him off so much? Warrick sighed softly and flipped on the radio, Nickleback's Woke up This Morning coming through the speakers. Nick reached over and cranked up the volume, a very out of character notion of him. He could barely stand hard core rock. Warrick decided not to question him on it, and drove out of the parking lot, and hopefully away from whatever had set Nick off.

Warrick quickly snuck a glance at the Texan to see him pressing his body into the leather seat as if to keep from jumping out of the car and running back. His knuckles were white from how tight his fists were, like he was trying to keep himself from beating the daylights out of somebody. Despite his pissed demeanor, his mouth seemed to be quivering a bit, and Warrick saw from the side of his sunglasses that his eyes held betrayal...like his entire belief system was gone.

Warrick silently prayed that what ever Nick had seen, heard, or suddenly discovered would pass quickly. He prayed he would tell him what was wrong so he could find a way to help...because until then, Nick was on his own.

* * *

Riley looked at the car still in awe. Deven watched her, smiling at her 'kid in a candy shop' excitement. "Ry, we gotta get going."

She sighed and bit her lip to keep from squealing in excitement. She gave him another quick hug. "Thanks again Dev...I think I wanna drive her home." She said grinning.

Deven laughed. "I figured you would."

She smiled and slipped into the car threw the window, in true Duke Fashion. "Damn Dev...She looks even better than she did three years ago..." She caressed the steering wheel in awe.

"I even had the specialized horn put in..."

She gaped at him and pressed the horn, throwing her head back in laughter when the tune from "Dixie" began to play. "This is too much!"

"Nah...You did good kid." He exclaimed. And waved as he turned to get into his own car. She smiled as she stuck the key in the ignition and her once broken baby roared to life. She squealed and clapped her hands together.

She pulled up next to Deven's car and shouted out the window. "I'm gonna take her for a spin! I'll see ya'll in a bit!"

"Have fun!"

She smiled and stepped on the gas. "Yeehaw!"

* * *

Nick threw his bag on the bench and tossed his dirty clothes into it. Slamming his locker shut when he was finished. As he reached for the bag his cell phone began to ring. He looked at the display before he answered it.

**R.T. **

_Riley..._

Nick frowned and gulped down the anger once again rising in his throat and he flipped open his phone. "Stokes..."

"Hey Hon." She drawled. Any other time when he was feeling down her sweet voice would have perked him right up. Now...her nonchalant 'nothing's wrong' attitude made him wanna punch the locker.

"Hey." He said half heartedly, trying to keep his mood out of his voice...he still had no idea what he was going to do...or how he was gonna confront her.

"Nick, are you alright? Tough case?" She guessed.

Nick rubbed his forehead and sat down on the bench. "Yeah...one of the worst." he replied. It was true...he was a t a dead end with his missing persons, but that was more annoying then angering.

"Well...how about we meet for breakfast. I can take your mind off of things." She said seductively. Nick squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fist.

_She's sitting there...acting like nothings wrong...trying to seduce me..._

Any other time, after an aggravating day, those few words was all that would need to be said. He'd rush over to her and she'd take his mind off things, letting him talk or vent if he needed to. Now...Nick felt like throwing up.

"Um..." He didn't want to see her, at least not yet. But he couldn't refuse, if he refused when he was having a bad day, he would let her help him. Even the hardest day wouldn't be enough to keep him away from her. For the past few months she was always the first one he'd call. "How...how about you come over to my place." It wasn't an unusual request for him. At least at his house they could talk privately.

"Okay. Sounds good. I'll be there in an hour or so."

Nick squeezed his eyes tighter and tried not to think of where she would be and who she'd be with for those hours with out him. "Okay. I'll see you then."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

_No. _"Yeah."

"Alright, I'll see ya in a bit Darlin."

Nick hung up the phone and stared at his locker. He felt the anger rising in him and this time he didn't hold back. He slammed his fist as hard as he could into the locker, sending it swaying back and forth. It almost fell over, but it finally steadied. Nick got a good look at the sizely dent his fist had made and sighed. He really didn't care right now...he didn't care about anything right now except for confronting Riley and putting an end to the pain.

* * *

_Okay, I split this up in two parts so the next chapter will be here soon enough. Ya know...Thomas Carlyle once said, '_**_A review for a book is the beginning of all knowledge'._**_... Okay, technically he said '__**A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge'**.__..but it's the same thing... _

-Chella Belle


	7. Chapter 7

**_Disclaimer:_ **_Aright, let's see...what don't I own...? Oh! Yeah! I don't own Nick, Grissom, any references to the Dukes Of Hazard, (yep don't own the show nor do I have any affiliation with the people that do) but I do own the DVDs including the new one with Johnny Knoxville –dreamy sigh—Oh bad boy...and I own the car that I mention in here...not the actual General Lee...but I own a 1969 Dodge Charger painted to look like a replica of General Lee. (yeah I know...it sounds crazy...) But hey, gotta love us Dixie girls!_

_I also don't own Gretchen Wilson, or any of her songs. I borrowed the lyrics from a website I got off Google...which I also don't own. Okay...what else...? –thinks deeply—Oh! I do not own the company Avon or the perfume Natori. (actually I own a bottle of the perfume, but I'm trying to get the point across that I didn't design the product) But ya'll probably already knew that... And...I guess that's it. Everything else...is MINE!_

_Yes, including those darling shoes I mentioned (the wedges and the wooden platform sandals.) –smiles—okay, I'm rambling...on with the book! _

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Nick was at his counter in his kitchen chopping the peppers for the omelets when he heard the knock on the door. He looked up nervously and his stomach started doing flip flops. Not the good kind like..._Oh my Gosh, the prettiest girl I've ever met is coming over to talk to me..._

But the bad kind like..._Oh God, I'm about to confront my girlfriend about something horrible and I think I'm gonna throw up. _

She knocked on the door again and Nick wiped his hands on his jeans as he nervously walked to the door. He paused and took a deep breath before opening it to reveal her smiling face. Her grin grew when she saw him and Nick's stomach did another flip. She looked absolutely gorgeous. She wore a jean skirt that fell to her mid calves with a slit to her knee in the back, a white braided belt, a flowing white shirt that flared slightly at the sleeves and hung loosely on her with light green flowers imprinted on it, and a pair of oversized wedges in white crochet. Her long red hair was hanging freely, in angel curls down to the bottom of her shoulder blades.

She bit her lip and tried to suppress another grin. "Hi Honey...you wanna let me in so you can stare at me more?" She teased and Nick forced out a smile. He moved aside to let her through and she smiled and stepped into the house. She sniffed the air and smiled. "Mmm. Somethin smells good." She leaned up and pecked him on the lips, before she walked to the counter and set the new carton of orange juice she had bought down on the counter and turned to smile softly at him. "Want to talk about it?" She asked, sensing already that something was wrong.

"No not really." He said and went back into the kitchen. She furred her brows and turned around to face the kitchen side and shook her head.

"Um...it might help." She said softly and he set down the spatula with a hard thud. She jumped at the noise and looked at him oddly.

"So how is everybody?" He asked tightly, with little interest. She furred her brows again and shook her head in confusion.

"Um, they're good..."

"How's Deven?"

She shook her head again. "Wh-...why do you care?" She asked, becoming slightly annoyed at this game of cat and mouse.

"How is he?" He asked slowly, pronouncing each word perfectly. Riley gave him a look and closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly.

"He's okay...Nick what's wrong?" She asked worriedly, not liking this new Nick he was showing her.

"What'd you do today Riley?"

"Nick I don't-"

"What'd you do today Riley?" He repeated, interrupting her in slightly louder, menacing voice.

"I...I got home from work, drove around a little bit..." She answered tentatively.

"Is that it?"

"I had breakfast with _you _Nick...you know that. Where is this going?"

"I saw you Riley."

"And that makes you angry..." She replied, not quite catching on.

"I saw you with Deven today...at the auto shop."

"_So_..."

"I saw you hug him."

A look of slight anger crossed her face and she straightened up her posture. "And that's a problem?"

"No, cuddling with your ex isn't a problem. That's completely normal. Especially when you've got a boyfriend."

"I _hugged_ him Nick; he's one of my friends. You know that." She said through clenched teeth.

"Yeah, I mean, I hug my friends all the time, and you know kissing them is normal too."

"What? I didn't kiss him." She protested.

"I fuckin saw you Riley!"

"Don't yell at me." She demanded angrily. "I did not kiss him."

"You are lyin through your teeth. I _saw you_."

"He fixed my car for me. I gave him a hug."

"And then you kissed him. He handed you something and you kissed him." Nick said angrily, his eyes closed, leaning on the counter. His knuckles were white from his clenched fists. He finally opened his eyes to look at her, nothing in them but anger, frustration, and hurt.

She shook her head slowly, more in disbelief than anything else. "I pecked him on the cheek." She said slowly in a dangerously low voice. "He's my friend. I do the exact same thing to Thomas, Kiersten, and anyone else. You're tellin me you've never pecked Sara or Catherine on the cheek?"

"Not while I had a girlfriend."

She nodded slightly while running her tongue along her teeth. "See, there's the real problem. You think Deven is a threat to us."

"Isn't he?"

Her face hardened and her baby blue eyes glassed over. "That is so sad. Almost _three_ months with me...and you don't know me at all. You think that I would jeopardize anything I had with you?" She slowly moved from around the counter, to his form standing in front of the living room.

"Yeah well, you said yourself that you learn from example." He countered angrily.

"Not that kind of example. I wouldn't hurt you, nevertheless with someone that hurt me in that very same way."

"You're sayin that you didn't sleep with him?" Nick clarified, not believing it.

"You know me Nick."

"Obviously I don't." He sapped and she flinched.

"You think that because of a friendly peck on the cheek and a hug?" Riley questioned softly, not believing this was happening.

"Answer the question." Nick demanded, growing angry again that she didn't deny it immediately and beg for forgiveness.

She shook her head and scoffed in disbelief "I shouldn't have to." She said softly, but the hardness in her tone matched his. She stalked to the door and slammed it shut. Nick stood in his living room for a minute before walking to the window in his bedroom to see her peel out of his driveway in her authentic General Lee replica car.

He frowned and felt the anger begin to pour out of him. He turned and punched the wall, his hand going through it. He looked at his bloody knuckles and the huge hole his fist had caused in shock, before stalking off to the kitchen to clean up what was left of their breakfast...

* * *

Nick ran his hand threw his short hair and walked tiredly into the break room. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night, too much tossing and turning, and although he knew he had done the right thing by breaking it off with Riley there was something pulling at the back of his mind telling him something wasn't right.

He shook the thought away and walked in to the empty room. He sighed and turned around, going to the only other room they all constantly gathered.

He knocked on Grissom's door and slowly opened it to find his boss sitting at his desk. He looked up at Nick surprised. "Nick...you're about two hours early...is there something you need?"

Nick furred his brow. "Huh?"

"You're early." Grissom repeated and Nick thought back. He hadn't really looked at the time. He turned off his alarm clock and got ready for work. Why would his alarm be set for two hours early? And suddenly he remembered.

_Riley..._

Last time she had stayed the night with him at his house she had set the alarm clock two hours fast so they would have some time together before they each had to go to work. He felt his heart fall a little and he was hit by the nauseas feeling that had kept him up most of the night.

"Nick?"

"Huh?"

"What's wrong with your hand?" Grissom asked, gesturing to the white bandage wrapped around his right fist and set of knuckles.

"Oh, uh...nothin. I just...hurt it. I was beein clumsy." Nick drawled, not liking the fact he had to lie to his boss, but knowing the other option wasn't going to help anybody.

"Do you need something?"

"Um, no...I just...I wanted to get in here early to work on the missing persons case."

"No need. She's no longer missing."

"Huh?"

"She returned home last night. Her friends had called and invited her to a party...things got out of hand and they all hopped a very drunken flight to Miami. She heard about the report and finally made her way back home. She stopped in here earlier this morning and I just finished up the paperwork. Oh the joys of being a supervisor. Anyway, you have the night off...with this passed week you've earned it."

Nick stared at him slightly dumbfounded, but nodded. "Yeah...okay...thanks Griss...I'll see ya tomorrow."

"No, tomorrow's Saturday. You've got a three day weekend."

Nick smiled slightly, knowing he should show Grissom his gratitude, even though he felt none. Three long, lonely, sleepless days without Riley, dwelling on the fact that he was without Riley didn't exactly sound appealing, or healthy for that matter. "Thanks Griss...man, the teams gonna hate me." He joked lightly, as Grissom smiled and Nick walked out of the room.

He groaned inwardly and grabbed his stuff from the locker room. His eyes wandered to the dent in his locker and he wondered if anyone had asked about it or noticed it for that matter. He shook his head and sighed, walking out of the locker room, and then the building. He tossed his stuff in his truck and climbed behind the wheel.

_Oh where to go..._

* * *

Nick opened his front door and stepped inside, throwing his keys somewhere and tossing his jacket in the opposite direction, landing somewhere ambiguous and he stalked into his room. He didn't know why he walked in there, he was in no mood to sleep, or to read, or to do _anything_... he sighed as he peeled off his shirt and paused before he threw it on his bed, staring at it in shock.

Riley was laying there in nothing but a matching brown lace and satin bra and panties set. Her hair was arranged on the pillow to look like an auburn halo and she was smiling deviously at him. Her creamy pale skin clashed against the chocolate brown material hugging her skin perfectly, accenting her already round breasts and curvy hips and butt. He sucked in a breath and reached out to touch her. He moved to slowly, and the vision of her faded away.

He blinked a few times, and then realized he had imagined it. Nick moaned and threw his shirt on the bed where she had been 'laying' moments before and moved over to his closet. He looked down and saw a pair of Riley's wooden rocker-chick platform sandals adorned with gold studs. He picked them up and sighed. It wasn't like he could just throw them away, but he didn't want to leave them...she might come back and ask for them.

Even though she wouldn't want to see him, he knew that her love of shoes would bring her to get them. He sighed again and looked at the clock. She would be at work right about now...it was the high point of the night, especially on a Friday, the bar/club would be busy if he left right now, leaving no room for them to talk.

_Good...I don't think I could handle it right now. _

He was still extremely mad at her and didn't want to see her. But if he had to, he'd rather see her in a public place he could easily escape, rather than his house. He sighed and tossed the shoes on the bed, grabbing a plastic bag he threw her shoes in there. He looked on the nightstand and found a bottle of her signature perfume. Nick slowly walked to it and sat on the bed as he picked it up. He looked at the oddly shaped clear bottle with the tan-ish liquid inside. He looked at the bottle and the gold name written on it.

_Natori..._

It was almost empty and he remembered a few days before when she had complained that Avon had stopped making the product, and she refused to wear anything but Natori...Nick had laughed and told her she was silly...

Then she had kissed him...and brushed up against him...

Nick shook the memory away, an apparent knew habit for him, and placed the glass bottle in the bag carefully. He sighed and tied the bag, threw on a clean T-shirt, and walked out his front door.

* * *

Nick walked cautiously into the bar and looked immediately towards the counter, just wanting to get this over with. He sighed when he spotted her and walked over to the bar. She hadn't seen him yet, or she had and she was ignoring him. He tried not to let her attire have an effect on him...but he couldn't quite help it.

She was wearing her Daisy Duke cut off jeans, brown suede vest with fringes on the midriff, and gold buttons up the front, exposing her well accented cleavage and well toned body that Nick knew_ relatively_ well. Her cowgirl boots ended at her mid claves, and her long hair was worn just as it had been earlier that morning. Her make up was darker, and she looked like she had gotten a spray on tan. A pair of gold chandelier earrings hung from her ears. She looked fantastic.

_Shit. _

Nick thought and sighed. He watched as she expertly served the dozens of drinks shouted off to her all at once. She completed the nearly impossible tasks with a smile saying 'bring it on'. After she was done everyone slid the money to her and she smiled and bumped hips with Thomas. Nick gulped down the lump in his throat.

She didn't seem even slightly upset by their break up.

_Well...I guess that's kind of a good thing. At least Jon won't be able to kill me know._

Jon had caught Riley sneaking Nick out of the house one morning a few weeks ago. They had finally fessed up and told him that they were now officially dating. Jon had smiled for a moment, before walking over to Nick and placing a hand on his shoulder, squeezing in an un-friendly way.

He had gotten real close to Nick's ear and whispered, _'If you ever hurt her or cause her one ounce of pain...I'll kill you and rip you into shreds so tiny that not even your CSI friends won't be able to find them.'_

Nick had come close to pointing out that that wasn't possible, but instead only nodded, figuring it would probably be better to just agree with the giant rather than upset him. He sighed again, louder this time. He felt a pair of hands on his shoulders and he jumped slightly. He spun around to come face to face with Tony and Shaun.

"Hey! Nick! What's up man?" Shaun asked. Nick felt a little startled and he chuckled nervously.

"Uh...not much man. I see you got your cast off."

"Yeah, now I'm back out in the playin field with the ladies."

_That makes two of us. _

"How've you guys been?" Nick asked, more out of courtesy than curiosity.

"We've all been good. Ya know, Riley's workin tonight. You wanna come say hi?" Tony asked. Nick looked at their expressions. They didn't seem to have any idea what was going on between them. Either that or they were planning on slyly bringing him to Jon so he could beat Nick to a pulp.

Nick shifted uncomfortably and stole a glance at Riley. "Um...no. I uh...I'm just meetin someone here."

The guys bought his lie and nodded, spotting a long legged blonde and hurrying over to see if she was currently '_entertained_' by anyone. Nick sighed one last time and walked over so that he was a few inches from her line of view. She looked at the counter top and snatched up the twenty dollar bill the guy next to him had laid down. She looked over a little and caught sight of Nick's un injured hand that was laid down on the counter.

He watched as her eyes widened slightly, recognizing the hands she knew well, before she turned her attention away and bent down to grab the Jack Daniels from underneath the counter. She set out the glasses and threw some ice in, pouring the alcohol up to the rim. "What do you want?" She asked, her sharp question directed at him.

Nick held up the bag. "You uh...you left some stuff at my house."

She looked up at the bag, avoiding his presence completely and snatched the bag. "Thanks." She mumbled and continued with her drinks. Nick nodded slightly and turned to leave. But a voice closing in on Riley made him stop in his tracks.

"Hey Ry."

Nick stiffened and slowly turned. He saw Riley stiffen slightly and her eyes flickered to Nick, afraid of what he might do. Nick stood there seething for a moment before taking a small step towards the bar. Riley shrunk back an inch, afraid that a smack down would erupt between any two of the three of them.

"Hey Deven." She said and tried to avoid Nick's glare.

"I got the papers on your car, I already paid the final bill before I took you to see it today, but I figured you'd need the papers." He slid them to her and she bit her lip before nodding.

"Thanks."

"Are you alright?" Deven asked worriedly, seeing how she had paled.

"Yeah, just drank too many shots from the customers I guess." She lied and took another order. "You want a drink Deven? On the house." She replied silently praying that Nick would leave.

"Nah. I gotta head out. Thanks anyway." He smiled and moved away from the counter in the opposite direction of Nick. She sighed, thankful one of them had left, and busied herself filing out the orders. Jabari walked up to her and leaned over the counter, shouting to be heard over the crowd.

"It's getting crazy in here Ry...you and the girls gotta calm down the crowd! Sing one of your songs and get Thomas on drink duty! Boss' orders!" Jabari called and she grimaced distinctly, but nodded.

Nick raised a brow. He had never seen her in action. Whenever he saw her at the bar, it was only for a moment and from a distance. They had agreed to keep their jobs out of their relationships. The only time they talked about them was if it was a particularly bad day, and then they mostly complained about how sick people could be. No details.

Riley set the drinks away and relayed the information to Thomas as Jabari made the announcement that the bartenders were putting on one of their shows. He jacked up the music and Riley appeared in her cowboy hat, mic in hand. Two other female bartenders joined her as they climbed on the counter.

The beginning tunes to Redneck Woman by Gretchen Wilson began to play and the girls all swayed their hips in sync with the music and each other. Riley began to sing along with the music, doing a pretty good impression of Gretchen Wilson.

"_Well, I ain't never been the Barbie doll type. No, I can't swig that sweet Champagne, I'd rather drink beer all night. In a tavern or in a honky tonk, or on a four-wheel drive tailgate. I've got posters on my wall of Skynyrd, Kid and Strait. Some people look down on me, but I don't give a rip. I'll stand barefooted in my own front yard with a baby on my hip."_

The girls continued to dance and began to sing along with her as the crowd gushed at them in appraisal.

"'_Cause I'm a redneck woman, I ain't no high class broad. I'm just a product of my raising I say, 'hey ya'll' and 'yee-haw'. And I keep my Christmas lights on. On my front porch all year long. And I know all the words to every Charlie Daniels song. So here's to all my sisters out there keeping it country, Let me get a big 'hell yeah' from the redneck girls like me, hell yeah!"_

The women in the crowd yelled back at her like she had asked as Riley danced across the bar, occasionally bending down to sing to the men watching her. She looked like a rock star, and Nick had to laugh at how cute she looked.

"_Victoria's Secret, well their stuff's real nice. But I can buy the same damn thing on a Wal-Mart shelf half price. And still look sexy, just as sexy as those models on TV. No, I don't need no designer tag to make my man want me. Well, you might think I'm trashy, a little too hardcore. But in my neck of the woods I'm just the girl next door_."

The other bartenders joined in singing again, all of them dancing like pros.

"_I'm a redneck woman, I ain't no high class broad. I'm just a product of my raising I say, 'hey y'all' and 'yee-haw'. And I keep my Christmas lights on. On my front porch all year long, And I know all the words to every Tanya Tucker song. So here's to all my sisters out there keeping it country, Let me get a big 'hell yeah' from the redneck girls like me, hell yeah!" _

Again, the woman yelled back at her and she smiled as she shimmied down the bar, shaking her hips and butt as the guys reached for her. Nick suddenly realized why she never wanted him to come visit her at work...she knew he'd get jealous at the sight of this...and she was right. _  
_

She stood right in the center of the bar, unknowingly close enough for the men to reach her, and finished up the song. _"Hey, I'm a redneck woman. And I ain't no high class broad. I'm just a product of my raising. And I say, 'hey y'all' and 'yee-haw'. And I keep my Christmas lights on. On my front porch all year long. And I know all the words to every ol' Bocephus song. So here's to all my sisters out there keeping it country. Let me get a big 'hell yeah' from the redneck girls like me," _

The women in the crowd yelled back to her, "Hell yeah!"

"_Hell yeah,"_

"Hell yeah!" They sang.

"_Hell yeah I said hell yeah!"_

The song came to an end and Riley smiled as she crouched down to hop off the bar, until one of the men grabbed her arm and tried to pull her towards him. Nick's jealous side immediately rose in him and he rushed over towards her and the guy. She was pushing him away from her, but before he let go Nick had spun the guy around and clocked him across the jaw.

"Nick!" Riley yelled in horror and tried to shove him away, but one of the drunken, now unconscious man's friends had punched Nick. Nick swung around and hit him to get him off of his body. "Hey! Stop it!" Riley yelled to no avail.

By this point a few more men had joined in, and it was a full blown bar fight. Riley climbed back up on the bar and signaled for everyone to stop. She whipped out the nozzle holding the beer and began spraying the men to get them off each other. It wasn't working.

The bouncer, Vic was making his way through the crowd, throwing men away as he made his way to Nick and a few other men, still fighting each other. The music had since died down, and all that could be heard were shouts and screams.

"Stop it!" Riley ordered, wanting to get Nick out of there before Vic did. She hoped down and pulled him off the other guy, dangerously putting herself between him and the guy, and in the line of their punches. Nick immediately stopped as soon as he saw Riley. Vic reached him and held him by the shirt. "Vic! Wait!"

"He's gone Riley." Vic growled and tossed Nick and the other guy into the street. Riley ran after them, forgetting about everything else completely. She saw him pick himself up off the ground and turn to face her, his shirt was ripped and blood was trickling from his nose and a small cut on his cheek and forehead. He smelled of beer and the foul taste of blood was in his mouth.

"What the Hell is wrong with you?" She demanded as Nick shook his head. "What were you thinkin!"

"Riley..."

"I don't come into the lab and mess around with test tubes and DNA samples do I?"

"No."

"So why the fuck did you do that? What was that Nick?"

"I saw you were in trouble! I was tryin to protect you!" Nick argued and she shook her head.

"NO! That isn't your job! I'm not yours to protect anymore! You made that pretty clear today Nick!" She shouted back.

_Oh shit...I did didn't I...?_

Most of the uninjured people, including Jabari, Thomas, Shaun, Tony, and Deven had made their way to the door to watch the feud between them evolve.

"That's only because you cheated on me!" Nick defended and Riley wheeled off and back handed him right across the face. His head snapped the side and everyone chorused in 'Oooh!' like a bunch of fifth graders. She glared at him and shook her eyes.

"Open your fuckin eyes Nick! I never cheated with Deven or any of my other friends for that matter!"

Everyone who knew them turned to look at Deven, whose jaw was practically hitting the pavement.

Nick stared at her in horror. He felt the nauseous feeling come back...but for a completely different reason. "You didn't?" He asked softly.

"NO!" She whined, stomping her boot. "I never cheated on you! I can't believe you _still _think that!"

Nick felt like he had gotten, another, sucker punch to the gut and he looked away from her hurt face. "Riley I..."

"No. Save it. Just don't." She demanded, turning on her heel to stalk back to the bar. Nick chased after her and grabbed her arm to make her face him. She turned and pushed his hand away, but he caught her other one.

"Riley please."

"NO! Just go home Nick. Leave me alone." She demanded and ran past the crowd of people and into the bar. Nick went to follow her but Shaun, Jabari, Thomas, and Tony had formed a wall to block his way.

"Please guys. Let me in there. I have to talk to her."

"She said go home." Shaun replied.

"Leave her alone." Jabari demanded.

"Please..." Nick begged.

"You go near her again and you can bet you're gonna have everyone of us plus the rest of us on your ass..." Tony replied.

"Please." Nick begged again.

"Leave her alone. You come after her again and it'll be the last person you ever pursue." Deven growled from behind them as he took off after Riley.

Nick felt his heart fall to his stomach and he slowly walked away, a defeated man.

* * *

_AHHH!_

_Drama, drama, drama!_

_Will our beloved couple work it out, or will I be evil and leave it at that? Hmm...guess it depends on reviews. If I don'tget at least five reviewsI will end the story here. Muh ah ah ah!_

_-Chella Belle_


	8. Chapter 8

_Is everyone ready for a fun filled dramatic chapter...? I think so! _:)

**

* * *

Chapter 8**

_(Two mornings later) _

Nick felt something cold and wet touch his forehead and he hissed in tenderness of his throbbing head. He felt like he'd been through a train wreck. "Ow!" He exclaimed and his eyes shot open to look around for the source of his pain. His eyes focused and he got a two-for-one find, the source of his physical and emotional pain. "Riley...?"

"Lay back Nick." She ordered firmly. The tone of her voice said 'don't-fuck-with-me-because-I'm-doing-this-for-you'.

Nick did as he was told and sighed. "What are you doin here Riley?"

She scoffed. "You left your jacket and wallet at the bar. I thought I'd return it when I found you passed out, face down on your living room floor next to an empty bottle of Jim Beam. I figured I'd do the right thing and at least get you fixed up before I took off but hey if you don't want me to..." She snapped, throwing up her hands in surrender, and standing up.

Nick winced and reached for her hand. "No..." He said softly and Riley took in a deep breath, before kneeling back down beside the couch and continued dabbing the hydrogen peroxide on his forehead and cheek. He hissed again, and she offered no words of solace.

Nick realized she was still pissed and he sighed softly. She put a bandage on his cheek and forehead. "You stained your carpet with blood and whiskey so...you'll probably have to do something about that..." She stated absently and her gaze wandered to his knuckles. "Is that from the fight...or did you get that from punching that hole in your wall." She said nodding towards the bedroom.

Nick sighed and nodded. "Wall."

Her lips were drawn in a tight line as she stood. "Well...there you go." She turned and picked up her purse as she walked to the door.

"Riley wait." Nick called and she paused, not bothering to turn around.

"Nick..."

"Riley please." He begged and hobbled over to her in pain. "Riley I want to talk to you."

"We don't have anything left to say Nick." She replied. He put his hand on her shoulder and gently turned her towards him.

"Yeah, how about me saying I'm sorry?"

"I really don't wanna hear it Nick. We tried it and it didn't work. Just...leave it."

"Riley no...I can't."

She sighed. "Well you're gonna have to try." She said softly and walked out the door, jumping into her car quickly to avoid the harsh rain falling down, and Nick's pursuit of her. Nick went out onto his porch step and then to the driveway to stop her, but she was already driving down the road. He stood in the middle of the road, in the pouring rain, watching her drive down the road and away from him.

He felt the rain come down harder on him and the wind picked up as she drove continuously, not stopping at all, or even slowing down. The song Settle for a Slowdown by Dierks Bentley came into Nick's mind as he stood out there in the pouring rain, Riley's car long gone, but he stood there wishing she would turn around.

But he highly doubted it.

He stood in the rain still, his teeth chattering, his clothes soaked, and his body shaking. She was gone...she was really gone. She was probably going to run back into Deven's arms...he had driven her back to the one who hurt her. Nick felt his stomach churn at that thought and he ran over to his bushes to empty his stomach. His body lurched as he dispelled everything he had in him. His body shook from his vomiting, the cold and wet conditions, and the pain he was already in.

Nick felt tears spring into his eyes and he groaned in pain. He slowly walked back into his house, dripping water all over his floor, but not really caring. He felt his warm tears mix with the cold rain water pouring down his face and he looked to his jacket and wallet lying on his counter. He looked around the house and saw that she had thrown the bottle of whiskey into the garbage and tried to dry up the blood from the carpet.

He furred his brows and sniffed the air, and recognized the scent of her perfume immediately. It's faint scent over-rode the smell of the whiskey, sweat, rain, and blood. He'd probably have to lay down new carpet and fix the hole in his wall, but he couldn't in his current state. He sighed as he slowly walked towards his bathroom and turned the water in his shower on as hot as it would go. He peeled off his clothes and stood underneath the spray.

Nick knew it was probably nearly scalding his skin, but he wasn't sure...he couldn't feel anything.

He soon jumped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. As he went towards his room he stopped short when he saw their picture hanging in the hall. A few weeks ago they had gone to Lake Mead and spent the day there, taking pictures randomly, before looking for the tallest building they could find, running to the top of it and taking a picture. It was that photo that was framed and hung in his hallway, because she couldn't bring it back to her place.

Nick felt that their smiles were mocking him, so he yanked on the nail the picture hung on, dropping it to the floor. The picture slid down the wall immediately, and would have broken if there hadn't been carpet underneath it. He ignored it and went into his room, putting on the first pair of clothes he found. The house was eerily silent as the rain pound on the roof and windows. He looked out the window in his bedroom, his shirt in mid air, as he felt a tear slip down his cheek. He missed her...he wanted her to come back to him...but why?

Yes, he knew that she hadn't cheated on him, and he felt horrible for thinking that, but there was something else. Some other reason tugged at Nick's mind, telling him he couldn't live without her...why...?

_I love her..._

"Damnit, I love her." He said barely above a whisper, and his arms suddenly felt heavier than ever. He dropped them to his sides, his body soon following as he slumped to the ground, next to his bed. He pressed himself up against it and laid his head back. He felt more tears fall freely down his face and he sobbed heavily.

He stayed like that for almost an hour before he finally stood and went to his kitchen. He found the empty bottle of whisky and glasses he had used last night and heaved them all at the wall as hard as he could. He spotted a bottle of wine that they had bought for their 2 month mark of dating. He let more tears fall as he hurled it through the open space in his kitchen, showing the view of the living room.

It slammed against the wall and shattered everywhere, leaving wine pouring down the walls. Out of anger he spun and ran into the hall where their picture used to hang and put his fist through it like he had the other wall in his bedroom. He felt a new kind of power take over him as he tore his house apart.

He beat the hell out of his mattress...the one she had slept in so very often. He broke the mirror in his bathroom...the one she so often used to strike poses in front of. He tossed the picture of them at the door she had walked out of almost two hours before.

He tore his living room apart and found one of her socks hidden beneath the cushions of the couch. He threw it somewhere in his house and finally fell to the ground in a heap. He sobbed more as it grew to full fledge crying. He almost didn't hear the sound of his beeper ringing.

Nick sat there for a moment, simply staring at the display saying 'Grissom'. He finally sighed and wiped his face, grabbing his phone, he dialed Grissom's number.

"Grissom."

"It's Nick."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah...I just woke up." Nick lied.

"Sorry to do this on the weekend but we need you in here..."

_Great. _

"There's a big mess down on Tropicana..."

_Shit. _

"Head on collision between two cars, and then a bunch of other cars piled on top..."

_Damn. _

"One of the head-on-colliders is the craziest thing I've seen in a while...at least in Vegas..."

_Fuck._

"It's a replica of the General Lee."

_Oh My God..._

Nick felt his heart literally stop beating as he silently gasped for air.

"Nick? Are you there?"

_Oh God no...it can't be...it can't be her...there has to be at least one more person in Las Vegas with that car. _

"Nick?"

"Yeah..." His voice cracked. "I...I'll be there." He quickly hung up his phone and stared ahead of him, trying to get air in his lungs.

_God...no, no, no...it couldn't be. _

Nick squeezed his eyes shut and slowly began to breathe. "Please don't let it be her..."

* * *

Nick parked his Denali and practically ran out to the rest of the CSIs standing under the shelter of the plastic tent. "How bad is it?" Nick asked hurriedly, before even greeting any of them.

"Bad...not to mention the fact that the rain is washing everything away while the rescue mission is still going on." Sara replied.

Nick's ears perked up. "There are survivors?" He asked hopefully and she turned to look at him.

"Oh my God Nick...what the Hell happened?"

Everyone turned at look at him in shock. "Nick...?" Grissom asked.

Nick gulped down the guilt rising in his throat. "I...I uh...I got into a beef out in a bar. Some punk ass kid had one too many beers and thought he was Superman." Nick replied.

_Yeah, except the punk ass kid was me, a 35 year old crime scene investigator who didn't have anything to drink and was trying to protect something that wasn't his..._

With the thought of Riley in his head he turned back out to the pile up. He nervously scanned the ambulances...she wasn't in any of them. "How many DB's?"

"One so far..."

_Oh God..._

"Female..."

_Dear Lord no..._

"Elderly woman driving to the store." Catherine explained.

Nick never thought the death of an older woman could make him so relieved.

"We have a live one!" An EMT called and pulled a red head out of the bright orange car. Nick took one look at her and started running as fast as his legs would let him.

"Riley." He breathed and pumped his legs harder, dodging the gurneys and rescue workers.

"Nick!" Warrick called from behind him. Nick ignored him and continued running towards her as they loaded her onto a gurney.

She looked around confused. "Where am I?" She croaked.

"Riley!" Nick reached her and she looked at him crying, scared, and confused.

"Nick what happened? Why can't I move? What's going on?" She asked beginning to panic as tears fell down her face. The rain poured down harder and Nick let out a sob, but shook his head.

"Baby, you were in a car accident. There was a huge pile up..."

"Why can't I move? I can't move my arms or legs Nick! Why!" She shouted getting desperate. Nick bit his lip, knowing that wasn't good. "Nicky..." She sobbed and Nick grabbed her hand.

"Can you feel me?" He asked and she slowly nodded, wincing from the pain.

"Yeah..."

He gave a sad smile and nodded. "That's good Honey...you're gonna be fine."

Another tear slipped down her cheek and she sucked her lips in to keep from crying. "I'm sorry Nick...I should have let you talk."

"No...don't, don't even start that. Baby...you were angry."

She shook her head even though it caused her pain. "No...Nick I should have-"

"Well there's still time...we can talk when the time is right. There's still time."

"Sir, we have to load her in the ambulance." The EMT interrupted.

"Can he come with me?" She asked feebly and the EMT paused for a moment, then recognized Nick and nodded. The CSI team watched from a distance as Nick climbed into the ambulance with the girl.

Grissom furred his brow as he pieced everything together. Nick's newest despondent mood, the scratch marks on his back that he had sustained a few months before that Warrick and Greg still joked about, the joyful Nick they had all experienced for the last few months, the fact that he always clocking out on time and rushing out of there...

"What do we do?" Greg asked nervously.

Everyone looked at him, then at Grissom, who sighed and shook his head. "Let him go...we'll process this."

* * *

Nick sat in the waiting room with his head in his hands, elbows on his knees; shoulder slumped over, waiting on news for Riley's condition. The sound of a stampede echoed through the halls and Nick knew what it was...

"Nick!" Jon called with Riley's entire group of friends behind him. They ran up to Nick and he stood slowly. "Where is she?" He demanded, stopping a few feet away from Nick, much to his relief, and everyone crowded around.

He gestured with his head towards the doors. "Back there." He croaked out. "They...don't have word on her yet."

"Is that bad?" Kiersten asked tentatively.

Nick paused and shook his head. "No. Not necessarily." He sugar coated the truth, not seeing the need to upset them.

"What happened?" Thomas asked.

Nick sighed. "All I know is that there was a massive pile up on Tropicana. There are a few other survivors, but other than that..." He once again sugar coated it, seeing a few of them nod absently and glance around as if the walls of the hospital were going to close in on them.

"Will she be okay?" Deven asked softly. Nick looked at the younger man and paused, contemplating his options again. She had said that she couldn't move her limbs, they didn't have word on her yet, and none of the multiple doctors and nurses that went in there had left yet...that didn't add up to a very pleasant influence of the situation.

Nick nodded his head. "Yeah...yeah, she's gonna be okay." He said just as softly as Deven had, who nodded in return and sunk back into the crowd. Everyone looked back at Nick as if he held the answers to everything. He turned and sat back down, not able to take their stares. They took it as their cue and assumed the same position he had.

_Yeah...she'll be okay...she has to be...she doesn't know yet...she doesn't know..._

Nick felt the familiar sinking feeling in his gut as he thought, scientifically, how it looked...not good.

_

* * *

AH! Oh the cliffhangers! Oh the suspense! Oh the DRAMA!_

_Reviews make me giddy. _

-_Chella Belle_


	9. Chapter 9

_By the way...I am totally bull shitting all this doctor stuff...I tried to get some online help and information from my medical books...but ya'll know how that goes..._

_I kinda made up the conditions and symptoms as I went so bear with me here. Sorry for my naïve tongue when it comes to the medical department...I'm much better with forensic science and those areas than medical science... –shrugs—Oh well. _

_And, for the record...this story wasn't beta'd...just so everyone knows...I'm on my own from here on out –sniffle—but hey..._

_I WILL SURVIVE!_

**Disclaimer:**_ Oh, and just so everyone knows...I don't own anything related to CSI or any of the characters...don't sue me cause you won't be getting much...just about 100 pairs of shoes_ :)

**Spoilers:**_ Grave Danger _

**

* * *

Chapter 9**

_(Tuesday Morning) _

The doctor from earlier had finally reported on Riley's condition, saying she was stable but still needed to be monitored. The good news was that she was being moved out of the ICU and into a regular hospital room. The entire group flocked to the smaller waiting room, and was taking breaks to make double coffee runs to keep them alert.

Tony, Troy, and Marcus all had to go in for work, while Jabari and CJ had to go to their classes. Leaving only Kiersten, Shaun, Pot Roast, Jon, Thomas, Deven, and Nick left. The doctor from earlier reappeared at the door and waited for them all to acknowledge him.

"Family of Bryn Riley-Ann Turner?" Doctor Sians asked, drawing everyone's attention, Nick being the only one who raised his eyebrow at the name.

"That's us." Jon said standing up. The doctor raised a skeptical eye brow at them all.

"Brothers." Shaun, Pot Roast, and Thomas said.

"Uncle." Jon replied.

"Sister." Kiersten informed him.

"Boyfriend." Deven answered.

"Brother." Nick lied...Deven had stolen his answer.

The doctor looked at them doubtfully, but let it slide. "She's awake now. Her condition is still stable but she's is on the support of a breathing machine. She's drowsy and, trust me; it looks a lot worse than it really is. It's merely cuts and bruises, but it looks pretty nasty."

"She um...she said earlier that she couldn't move her arms or legs..." Nick replied tentatively. Everyone turned to look at him and he shifted uncomfortably under their gazes.

"Yes, that was merely from shock. The impact from the other car knocked her unconscious for a moment, and when she came to her nerves were shot. The signals her neurons were sending to her brain weren't being received due to over load on stress and her unconscious state. She'll be fine though, she is able to move her arms now and she can shift her legs, but they're still hard to carry for her because of the medication she's under." The doctor explained and Nick nodded. "You can visit her one at a time, but keep it light and don't upset her." With that, the doctor left them alone to decide who went in first.

Kiersten stepped forward. "Can I go first?" She asked and all the men nodded. She slowly made her way into the room and left all the men standing around awkwardly waiting for something to do.

"So Thomas..." Shaun began and everyone looked up at him even though he had only spoke to Thomas. "Chicken out before you could say 'sister'?" He cracked a small grin trying to lighten the mood. Everyone erupted in laughter and Nick smiled, shaking his head.

"Yeah actually, that doctor was so cute. Too suave for his own good...I was gonna make a move on him but I chickened out." Thomas replied and they laughed again.

"Sorry Tommy, I don't think he's gay." Pot Roast said and Thomas shrugged. "That nurse that left earlier was hot though." He replied smiling and Jon and Shaun nodded and chuckled in agreement.

"I think the male nurse was cuter." Thomas objected.

"Well you would." Deven replied and everyone laughed again. Thomas shrugged again innocently.

"Like I can help it."

"Are you gonna ask for his number when he comes back?" Shaun asked.

"The doctor or the nurse?"

"Dude, I don't know. That isn't really my area of expertise. Which ever you think is hotter."

They all laughed again and Thomas nodded. "I'm asking both."

Nick shook his head as he laughed softly and looked towards the door as Kiersten walked out, smiling. All he laughter stopped and every one stood up. "How is she?" Jon asked.

Kiersten smiled. "She wants to know what the Hell is so funny out here that ya'll are laughin so hard." Kiersten drawled and they all smiled. That sure sounded like Riley.

Jon shook his head. "I'm goin in next." He chuckled and made his way through the doors, as Kiersten took Jon's seat next to Nick.

"BRAT...Bryn Riley-Ann Turner...it's an ellipsis of her name." Nick stated as Kiersten nodded and smiled.

"It's also a great misjudgment of her personality. Once, her mom called her a brat, and Riley put on hand on her hip and cocked her head, she said 'I ain't a brat, I'm a stubborn know-it-all'." Kiersten informed him and he laughed. After a few minutes of silence Kiersten smiled again. "She told me about the bar..."

Nick sighed and hung his head.

"Nick..." She was cut off by the opening of the doors as Jon came out and walked down the hall.

They all looked at him confused. "Where are you goin Jon?" Shaun asked as the large man hurried down the hall.

"She wants Sour Patch Kids!" He called back as he took off in search of a vending machine. Shaun shook his head.

"She's a spoiled brat."

"She ain't a brat...she's a stubborn know-it-all." Nick replied and they smiled at him.

* * *

One hour, four visitors, and Sour Patch Kids runs later, two men sat anxiously awaiting their turns. So far Deven and Nick were the only two who hadn't been in to see Riley. Thomas exited the room and Deven stepped forward. "I wanna go first." He replied and Nick nodded. It was fine with him...once he saw Riley he didn't think he'd want to leave her.

Nick sighed and ran a hand over his days worth growth of beard. He felt a soft hand on his shoulder and he turned to see Kiersten hand him a cup of coffee. He smiled gratefully and accepted it. "Thanks."

"You should go home and get some sleep."

Nick shook his head fervently. "I haven't seen her yet."

"Well you're not gonna wanna leave her once you do..." Kiersten stated and Nick sighed, apparently she had the same gift Catherine had...a woman's intuition.

"Are you a mom by any chance?" Nick asked and she smiled and shook her head.

"No, the intuition comes naturally with raising these guys all my life." She jerked her thumb towards the men behind her. Nick smiled and shook his head. "Go home Nick, just change and shower...Deven will probably be in there for a while." She pointed out and Nick sighed again.

"No...I...I wanna see her."

"Waiting around isn't gonna make you able to see her any quicker."

"No Kiersten." He said firmly and she sighed.

"You're as bad as these guys." She rolled her eyes and sat down in a chair next to Pot Roast. Nick sipped his coffee and began pacing the floor. He looked at his watch.

_5 minutes..._

Deven had been in there for five minutes. Nick sighed again and sat back down. He knew he probably should go home and get some rest, Riley and Deven would still be a while...but his legs weren't agreeing with his brain. He sighed and leaned back in the chair, closing his eyes for a moment to gather his thoughts, but soon falling asleep.

* * *

Riley sighed and looked away from Deven's concerned face. They had been talking about nothing for the past half hour, neither wanting to discuss the issue of what happened at the bar a few days ago, and Nick's suspicion that she was cheating on him. Deven refused to leave her side, but wouldn't look her straight in the eye, and that was annoying her.

"Dev...you can't just sit here for an hour and not say anything..."

"I'm sorry Ry, but..."

She sighed again as he chickened out of what he was going to say. She looked towards the window of her room and saw the stars shining through the nearly black clouds covering the sky, and her mind began to wander...

_I wonder if anyone has called Danny to let him know I'm not comin into work for a while...man he's gonna be pissed. Eh, Thomas or Jare Bear, will explain it to him. I wonder what they're doin right now..._

She glanced back at Deven and saw that he still had his head down. "How long?" He finally asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"How long what? How long will I be in here? How long has it been since either of us has spoke? How long has Nick thought I was sleeping with you...? Okay, I don't know, about ten minutes, and since Thursday, but he's probably been chewin that thought since we started dating." She drawled.

Deven sighed. "How long have you and Nick been seeing each other?"

"Officially or do you want the long version?" He opted for the long version, not really wanting to hear the story, but knowing it would buy him more time. She began to tell him about how Nick had shown up a few months ago at the bar and asked her on a date, then after the big game they had gone out on a date. Soon one date turned into two, two turned into three, and by then Nick and her had officially become an item.

"You weren't really going to the library all those times were you?" Deven asked and she shook her head. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Would you have been okay with it?" She asked, already knowing the answer. Deven dropped his head.

"Well were you gonna keep it a secret forever...? Didn't you think we'd eventually figure it out?"

"No and no. I figured I would accidentally let it slip or finally decide to tell everyone before ya'll put the pieces together. If you figured out anything it would be that I was seeing someone, but you wouldn't know who."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want it to be more awkward than it already was."

"Riley...I hate to say it...but it'll be a while before its not awkward, if we do ever get passed this."

"And you knowing that I was dating Nick wouldn't have done anything...so I just didn't tell you."

"Who knew?"

"Kiersten and Jon...both found out by accident."

Deven didn't particularly want to know how they had found out what was going on. "So...what happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ry...what happened before the whole bar thing?" He asked as she sighed and began to tell him about how Nick had blown up at her, so she drove around for a bit before heading into work, only to have Nick come and drop off her stuff.

"...You know the rest. I went to see him after a few days later and found him passed out, we argued more, and I took off...and landed myself here." She gestured around her. "Proof in context that running from your problems doesn't solve anything...you just land yourself into a bigger shit 'sit'." A shit 'sit' was Riley's term for a shitty situation you can't get out of.

Deven shook his head and sighed, reaching out to grab her hand and push a piece of red hair from her face. "I didn't like the fact that you...you were with him...I still don't." He said softly and Riley looked down to her other hand that was picking at the blue hospital blanket covering her lower torso and legs.

"Well...you don't have to worry about that...we aren't...together, anymore." She replied. Deven didn't look up from his hands.

"I miss you Ry."

Riley swallowed the lump in her throat and looked up into his crystal blue eyes. "Deven...we can't. We're a mess. We-"

"But we can fix that Riley...it's us...we have to able to fix that."

She opened her mouth to say something, but the words slipped away from her, and she ended up closing her mouth and looking away. She shook her head and dragged her gaze back to his. "Deven...we're too different."

His eyes bore into hers and he paused. "That's what made us work...we had things that were different about us...but we had things that were the same."

"Deven, we're too messed up. Our relationship, that way, is too broken to be fixed."

"Please, I said I was sorry. I've said I'm sorry so many times..."

"That doesn't erase the pain and the memory of what happened Deven." She pointed out softly.

Tears welled up in his eyes and he looked away, he hated when she saw him crying and weak. He swallowed the large lump that had formed in his throat and he shook his head slightly. "I don't know what else to do Riley."

Her shoulders slumped a few inches as she was hit by the memory of their last conversation like this...when they had broken up. "And that's why we can't work Deven. It isn't that we won't work or that I won't try...its that we **can't**."

Deven dropped his head and quickly wiped away the tears on his face. He nodded slowly, still not looking at her. "I don't think I can _not_ have you in my life." He admitted and she covered his hands that was holding hers with her other one.

"I can still be your friend."

"I'm still going to love you."

She shrugged. "Friends love each other."

He shook his head. "Not the way I love you..." He looked at her and leaned in slowly and kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger on her skin. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. She felt a tear slip off his cheek, and mix with her own tears; eventually both fell and landed on the blue sheet above her. "I love you Riley...I'm sorry." He kissed her temple before quickly standing and leaving the room.

She closed her eyes and kept her face semi-straight as her tears fell. She pressed the call button for the nurse, and she entered almost immediately. "Yes Miss Turner? Is everything okay?" She asked, noticing the tears. Riley wiped away the tears quickly and nodded.

"Please refuse any more visitors. I'm kind of tired." She asked and the nurse paused a minute before finally nodding and taking another step into the room.

"Do you need anything else?"

Yep, how about some pain killers for my broken heart...

Riley thought, but instead she shook her head and turned on her side. She lay down and closed her eyes, trying to let sleep come to her. It should have been easy with the emotional exhaustion she was feeling and all the sedatives coursing through her...but her eyes refused to close.

The young woman nurse watched the patient carefully, before she nodded for a final time and walked out of the room.

_Go to sleep...go to sleep...go to sleep..._

And soon enough, she did.

* * *

Nick had been about ready to walk into Riley's room when the nurse cut in front of him. "I'm sorry sir, but she's refused anymore visitors...she needs her rest. You can come back tomorrow." The much smaller nurse informed him. Nick looked at her slightly confused. This tiny nurse, which he could probably pick up and move out of the way with no trouble, stand her ground in front of Riley's door.

Why would Riley refuse visitors...or, maybe he was the reason she was refusing people. He was the only one she hadn't talked to. Maybe that wasn't just coincidence.

Nick stood there, gaping at her slightly, before turning away and walking out of the waiting room, and practically running out of the hospital doors. He remembered that he had been brought there by the ambulance with Riley, and his car was still at the scene. He sighed and made his way home, calling Warrick and asking him to drop his car off at his house.

Warrick asked no questions, and offered no words, for which Nick was thankful. He didn't want to deal with anything right now.

She had obviously changed her mind about talking to him...of course she had. She was scared and confused, surrounded by dozens of people she didn't know at the scene...she clung to a familiar face.

That's all he was...a familiar face.

Nick sighed and after a grueling near hour walk, he made his way into his house. It was trashed. Nick looked around confused before remembering what he had done.

He moaned, grabbed some clothes, threw them in a bag, snatched up his wallet, and called a cab. He ordered the driver to take him to the first hotel they found.

Nick was in no mood to fix the mess he made. In his mind, he was pulling a Riley...ignoring the mess and wishing it would just go away. He knew that wasn't fair to think like that. She had been through a lot the past few days, and she didn't even know one fact that might spin the entire situation back to a much happier dimension...

He loved her.

But then a horrifying thought entered his mind...what if she did know, and didn't want to see him _because_ of that.

_No...no, she can't know...I barely knew...I only found out a few days ago, it shocked the hell outta me...no way does she know...right? _

* * *

Riley woke up the next day and looked around her. She bolted upright and immediately lamented it. A sharp pain seared through her head and lower back, and she fell back against the pillows. It all slowly came back to her...the fight, the bar fight, the argument with Nick, the accident, her talk with everyone, her talk with Deven...

"Nick..." She said softly and slowly sat up. Did he come to see her yesterday? She remembered Kit commenting that nick was anxious to see her. And then after her long talk with Deven she had felt drained, and not up to seeing him. She sighed and pressed the call button. The nurse pooped in, with her tray of breakfast and a smile. "Um...can you reinstate visitors please?" Riley asked cautiously.

The nurse nodded and set the tray on the metal tray by her bed, and wheeled it over so that it was in front of Riley. "Yes I can."

"Um, was there a man out there yesterday with short brown hair, brown eyes, about six inches taller than you?" She asked giving a semi-vague description of Nick. The nurse thought back and nodded.

"Yes...I sent him away after you requested no visitors. Do you want me to send him away if he comes back?"

"No! No, no, no...if he comes back, tell him I want to see him first."

"And if he doesn't come back..."

Riley thought about it, but didn't answer as she turned towards the window, silently praying that he came back today.

* * *

_Bite. Bite. Bite. _

_Scrape. Scrape. Scrape. _

_A loud scream...it was his own._

_Walter Gordon's recorded message burner into his ear, and Nick physically flinched away as if it was actually burning him. _

_The cool barrel of the gun pressed itself against Nick's chin..._

_But it wasn't Nick holding the gun. _

_He was strapped down to the box, bonded by handcuffs. _

"_No! No! No! Let me go! Get the ants off of me!" _

"_We'll help you Nick!" Warrick's voice called out and soon a cold blast of ice shot through the top of the Plexiglas coffin. _

_It was chilling him...suffocating him. _

"_No! No! You're suffocating me! It isn't helping!" Nick exclaimed frantically, his voice cracking. _

"_Yes it is Nick! It's helping! We're helping you!" Grissom called from above the coffin and pressed his hands against it. _

_Suddenly the coffin started crushing around him. _

_Grissom was pressing the lid down and squishing him in there..._

_Trapping him. _

_Nick's hands were suddenly set free, the bonds ripped away, and Nick pressed back against the coffin. _

"_No Nick! You're making it worse!" His mother screamed from outside the box and Nick looked at her confused. _

_She wasn't supposed to be here..._

"_Stop it Nick! We're helping you! You don't know what you need!" Catherine demanded. _

_Bite. Bite. Bite. _

_The ants continued biting his skin. _

_The people around him continued blasting the icy air in...smothering him._

"_Stop fighting it Poncho...you can't fight it anymore!" His dad yelled at him. _

"_You never could! It was never enough Poncho!" Grissom yelled, smiling wickedly. _

"_No, you couldn't Nick...you couldn't ever fight it...you couldn't even fight me." Walter Gordon replied menacingly and Nick tried to get away from him, but the box was growing smaller. _

_Nick frantically beat the box, he twisted and turned and flailed his arms and legs, desperate to get away. _

"_God! Make it all go away!" He yelled, his voice cracking. _

_And his wishes were granted. _

_Someone pulled the trigger. _

Nick bolted up in the bed, breathing heavily, blanketed in sweat. He frantically brushed off his arms, face and swatted away a gun that was there. His sheets were tangled around his legs and torso, preventing him from moving hardly at all.

Where was he? And he remembered.

The events of the days before crashed into him like a head on collision...ironic.

He sighed and wiped his hand down his face as he looked around the small hotel room, trying to control his breathing.

The room was plain, small, and by far not the classiest, but it was affordable. Sleeping on the hotel sheets had made him uncomfortable, but he knew he would have been a hell of a lot more uncomfortable at his own house...

He sighed and threw the plain white covers off of him, and walked shakily to the bathroom. He splashed cold water on his face and dried his face with a towel and shaky hands.

He hadn't prepared for that.

He hadn't had a nightmare about the box in months...

He sighed and turned on the shower, peeling off his clothes and finally getting a control on his breathing, Nick stepped into the shower and tried to wash away the remnants of his nightmare.

* * *

Nick walked through the front gates of Hell...actually he walked in his front door...but at the moment, there was no difference. He sighed as he set the wall plaster he had bought from Home Depot down and surveyed the house. He had a lot of work ahead of him, fixing the holes in the walls, replacing the carpet, his mattress, couch, repainting the wall in the living room, hall, and bedroom...

He sighed and looked at his watch.

_7:23 p.m. _

Riley would probably be up by now if she was still on her nightshift schedule...the nurse had said that he could visit her tomorrow...but the question was if he wanted to.

Guess he wouldn't know that answer unless he confronted it...

But first he had to change...fresh clothes were needed, and food wouldn't hurt either. He sighed and went into his room. He stopped short when he saw Riley sitting on the edge of his bed, her head down, hands underneath her thighs. Nick looked at her hunched form skeptically. He wasn't going to be fooled twice.

She looked up to his face and let a few tears slip down her cheeks. Nick reached out to brush them away and almost gasped when he felt her flesh beneath his hands. "Riley...you're here...you're, you're real."

She sniffled. "Nick...I'm sorry. I shouldn't...I shouldn't have run out like that."

Nick shook his head and knelt down next to her, cupping her face in his hands. "No...you were angry..."

"Then I turned away visitors at the hospital...I'm so sorry." She said between sobs and Nick cradled her in his arms. He sighed, hating the thought of her crying.

"Please...please, don't cry Riley...please don't. I'm not mad."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"Me too."

He felt her plant a soft kiss on his neck...right on the crook of his neck. In the place he liked. He shuddered and felt her kiss him again. She was moving her hands around his body now, kissing along his neck...his jaw...his lips...

Her lips felt soft and flush against his own. They barely touched his own, teasing him almost. Slowly she applied pressure to his shoulders and laid him back against the bed. She let her hands grip his shoulders, then slip slowly down his sides and under the cotton of his T-shirt. Her slim fingers ran up and down his chest, savoring the feel of him as Nick's hands worked to pull off the form fitting maroon corduroy jacket she was wearing.

She pulled away from him, smiling deviously, and pulled the jacket off her shoulders. Nick smirked up at her and she giggled, a new habit with her in the bedroom. He went to reach for her again but she was gone. Her furred his brow and blinked.

He was back in his living room...he had never left. He looked around him confused and then to the hallway leading towards his room.

Nick took off running and plowed through the open doorway, expecting to see her sitting on his bed, but instead saw nothing...not even the scent of her perfume lingered. He sighed and looked down to see his current _'situation'_ and sighed.

"Damn..." He murmured to himself and leaned against the door jam. Nick's phone began to ring and he unhooked it from his belt, to see the display of Grissom's name.

_Oh shit...I ran out on a scene...I didn't even say where I was going. And the only contact I've made with them was to tell Warrick to drop my car off at my house. _

He felt a wave of guilt wash over him and he answered his phone. "Stokes."

"Nick, we need you in here. We're all pulling doubles and we're loaded with cases."

"Griss...I'm sorry about running out on the scene a few days ago..."

"Don't worry about it Nick. But I had to take you off the case because of your obvious relationship with one of the victims."

Nick was quiet for a moment. "Okay...thanks Grissom. But...I don't think we have to worry about my relationship with her anymore."

There was a pause on the other end. Nick had obviously made the older man uncomfortable with this news and it was a minute before he finally spoke. "Okay Nick. But I still need you to head up the other cases with Greg. Cath, Sara, and Warrick are working with me on the collision."

"Okay. I'll be there soon Grissom."

"Alright."

"Hey Grissom..."

"Yes Nick?"

"...Thanks for understanding." Nick said.

"You're welcome Nick." Grissom said sincerely and they hung up. Nick looked back at his house.

_Okay, I need to take care of something..._

* * *

_Oh...Goodness...what is going to happen next? _

_Reviews rock...and people who review rock...so...reviewing makes you rock...so you should review...—smiles—you know you want to _:)

-_Chella Belle_


	10. Chapter 10

_Wow...does anyone else feel like this book is flyin by? Hmm, maybe that's because it kinda is...wow. This thing has only been on the site for about a week or so...whoa. –shrugs—normally it take that long for me to write a chapter. But hey, can't blame me if this book flows easier than anything else I'm writing... (or not writing). _

**Timeline:**_ In case some people haven't figured it out, this is set mid season six and on. _

**Spoilers:**_ Grave Danger _

_Anyways, I'll let ya'll get on with the book and stop boring you with the Author's note... (Though I secretly wonder if anyone reads these things...) Eh, probably not. Are you all ready for an (accidentally) long chapter (long for this book anyway)? Hope so..._

**

* * *

Chapter 10**

(Two days later)

_Bite. Bite. Bite. _

_Scrape. Scrape. Scrape. _

_Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. _

_Another loud scream...it wasn't his own...it was a woman's. _

_But who's...? _

_The cool barrel of the gun was dragged along his jaw line, tracing the frame of his face. And it was thrust to his chin once again..._

_And just like the last time...Nick wasn't holding the gun. _

_He was being held down by someone. Someone who shouldn't have been able to hold him down. The fingers were cold...thin...feminine...and dead. _

_The nails dug into his arm. _

"_Help me Nicky..." The voice begged._

"_Help you? I can't even help my fuckin self!" _

"_Help me..." _

_The voice was familiar..._

"_Kristy?"_

"_You've saved me before Nicky...why didn't you save me the last time...? It's your fault..." The hands released him. _

"_Kristy!" _

_There was no answer. _

_A new pair of forceful hands grabbed him. They weren't Kristy's this time. But they were women's hands. _

"_No! No! No! Let me go! Get the ants off of me!" _

"_Stop it Nicky! We're helping you! We know what's best!" Warrick's voice called out and soon a cold blast of ice shot through the top of the Plexiglas coffin. _

_It was chilling him...suffocating him. _

"_No! No! You're suffocating me! It isn't helping! None of you are helping! You're making it worse!" Nick exclaimed frantically, his voice cracking. _

"_Yes it is Nick! It's helping! We're helping you!" Sara called from above the coffin. She stood next to it and began throwing dirt over it. _

"_No! You're burying me!"_

"_It's only what's best Nicky..." Grissom explained and pressed his hands against the lid. _

_The coffin started crushing around him...it was closing in on him much faster this time._

_Nick's hands were suddenly set free...the person had let go...but their hands were not yet off of him...and he was no longer in his coffin._

_He was lying in his old bedroom...when he was a kid. _

_The hands continued to touch him. _

_They went over his arms, chest and stomach...they fell down to the waist of his pajama bottoms. "No! This isn't right! You shouldn't be here!" His voice was immature...he hadn't even hit puberty for Christ's sake and this was already happening to him!_

"_Stay still Nicky...or it'll only be worse." The voice taunted. _

_A hot tear slipped down his cheek as he felt his pajama bottoms come off. "No! Please don't...please leave me alone." _

_She wasn't supposed to be here..._

_This shouldn't have been happening to him. _

"_Stop!" He screamed as loud as he could. _

_Suddenly he was back in the box._

_Nigel was pressing on the lid. _

"_Stop it Nick! I'm helping you! You don't know what you need!" Nigel assured him. "You're my best friend Nick! And I know what's best!" _

_Bite. Bite. Bite. _

_The ants continued biting his skin. _

_The people around him continued blasting the icy air in...smothering him._

"_Get him! Grissom! Catherine! Warrick! Someone get him away from here! He's making it worse!" Nick tried desperately to convince the people around him._

_He started choking on the cold air filling his lungs. He began to beat on the box's lid, trying desperately to get himself free. _

"_Stop fighting it Poncho...you can't fight it anymore!" His dad yelled at him. _

"_You never could! It was never enough Poncho!" Grissom yelled, smiling wickedly. _

"_No, you couldn't Nick...you couldn't ever fight it...you couldn't even fight me. I was so much weaker than you and it still wasn't enough!" Walter Gordon replied menacingly and Nick tried to get away from him. _

_Same as before...he couldn't get away. _

_Nick frantically beat the box, he twisted and turned and flailed his arms and legs, desperate to get away. _

"_Stop Nicky! Nick!" A different, yet familiar woman's voice demanded. "Hey! Stop it!" She ordered, and tried to pull him away. _

_He was out of the box...he was standing above the box, watching it all happen. Suddenly he was in Nigel's place. He was pressing the lid down, crushing his other self. _

"_What the Hell is wrong with you?" Riley demanded, and Nick recognized these words..._

_She had yelled them at him after he had been in the bar fight. _

_He was sitting here, trying to kill his other self, and she was trying to make him stop...using the same force and desperation she had used that night. _

"_Nick no!" She finally pulled him away and he fell back against the hard ground. _

_He was back in the box. _

"_No! Not again!"_

_He was getting damn sick and tired of this. _

"_Just stop! Everyone stop! Everyone get the fuck away from me!"_

"_Stop fighting it Nicky...you're killing yourself by fighting..." _

_Riley's voice was back..._

_And she was the one holding the gun..._

"_Riley! What are you doing!" _

"_Making the pain go away...it won't hurt any more Nicky..." She replied. _

"_No! I'm not ready to die!" _

"_I'm sorry." She answer, regret evident in her voice. _

"_No!"_

_She pulled the trigger. _

Nick bolted up in bed...just like he did at the end of every dream. Nick was afraid that one of these days it wouldn't end with the gun going off...and he'd have to experience death.

The dream had been taken to a new level of fucked up.

What the hell was the babysitter doing there...Kristy too...and Nigel...

Then Riley had held the gun to his head...

Nick let the sobs escape from his body as he wiped away the sweat covering his body...he looked around the room. He had come back to his house last night...he was too tired to deal with the hotels...

And Nick realized what had brought on the new occurrence of the dream.

He was in the 'Gates of Hell'...at least that's what he was calling it lately.

This was where it all happened.

It was the first house he had lived in since the babysitter...

It was the house he had gone home to after he had slept with Kristy, and then again when Catherine had proved he didn't kill her...

It was the house Nigel Crane stalked him in...

It was the house he returned home to after he had been taken in the night by Walter Gordon...

And it was the house his world fell apart in almost a week before...the holes in his walls, both literally and figuratively, being evidence of that.

Nick wiped away the tears he didn't know he was crying and untangled himself from the sheets. He walked into the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. He turned on the shower, took off his clothes, and jumped in...the same routine he had been following every morning he awoke for the past week.

He sighed and pressed his hands against the tiled wall of his shower, trying to release the tension from his body. It was going to be a long day...he could already tell that.

* * *

Nick sighed as Vega stepped forward and handed him the case file. "Hey Sam...did they break him yet?" Nick asked in reference to the main suspect in their murder investigations. Two bodies were found at an abandoned warehouse, beaten beyond identification. Doc Robbins estimated time of death only a few hours before they had found them, COD was strangulation, then mutilation, followed by a video recording, that never revealed the killer, delivered to the victim's family for degradation. The third body was identified as the two boys', James and Andrew, younger sister, Angela Colbert. She had sought out revenge on the man that had killed her brothers, and landed herself in a mess of trouble.

"Yep. He just confessed to all three murders." Vega answered as they walked down the hall towards lock up.

"_Tell_ me he told you why." Nick begged. He had let Greg go in for the interview while Nick finished up the necessary paperwork for the case.

Vega nodded. "They saw something they shouldn't have..." Nick looked at the other man expectantly. When he didn't continue Nick raised his brows.

"Is that it?"

Vega chuckled and shook his head. "C'mon Stokes, it took me two hours to drag that outta him. I had to have my fun with you. You weren't getting the information that easily." Nick rolled his eyes as they continued down the hall. "Saw him bribing their father for more money on a pay off. The kids' father was in serious debt and our Mr. Johnson caught him snatching money from the company vault. Decided to keep the information to himself in exchange for a nice little slice of the pie."

Nick shook his head. "People don't get that the pay off never ends...one payment doesn't ever settle it."

"The father was going to put an end to the embezzlement by turning himself into the police. And that pissed off Mr. Johnson."

"No more Mr. Colbert, no more Mr. Jacksons for Mr. Johnson."

Vega nodded. "Boys ran across the plans to kill the father, then they went to warn him, but Johnson caught them first. So Johnson held the boys death over the father's head and told him he'd pin the murders on the dad if he didn't keep up with the pay off..."

"And then the _girl _turned up dead."

"She tried to help her father."

Nick shook his head. "I don't get people, man..." Nick sighed in frustration and broke away from his walk with the detective to go towards the locker room. He had buried himself in the case to keep his mind off of Riley, but hadn't had enough energy to restrain himself from getting attached to the victims...

Three innocent children just trying to help their father...the world, especially Sin City, could be sick and unfair. Lives were ended so soon...most barely had enough time to begin. Nick sighed again and grabbed his stuff from his locker and exited the room, passing Grissom's office on the way.

"Uh Nick..." Grissom called as Nick walked passed the door. Nick back tracked a few steps and peered into the office.

"You need me Boss?"

Grissom nodded and waved Nick in. "Yeah...sit down Nicky."

_Uh oh..._

"I want to talk to you."

_This can't be good..._ "Um...okay." Nick answered tentatively. Grissom sighed and sat back in his chair, chewing on the end of pen, before setting it down and looking Nick in the eye.

"The accident on Tropicana...what is your relationship with the girl?"

"Was...what _was_ my relationship." Nick corrected and Grissom examined him for a moment before nodding. Nick sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "We were dating..." He raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Is this your way of telling me that something happened to her?" Nick asked worry starting to grow in the pit of his stomach. Grissom shook his head and Nick nodded slowly. "So what are you trying to say?"

"I uh...how long were the two of you dating?"

Nick stifled a protest and tried to keep his face neutral. "About three months...why?"

"I just uh...I wanted you to know that I had to bring her down here to ask her some questions...I didn't want to surprise you."

_Empathy...not a usual trait from our fearless leader_...

But then again, Nick wasn't giving him much credit. Just as much as the box had changed Nick, it changed everyone else as well. Sara had seemed to rediscover the art of smiling when she was around Nick...even when it wasn't needed. Catherine had decided to be more of a mother towards her own daughter...and the boys and Warrick had become even more protective of Nick then he had before.

Apparently Grissom had learned the beautiful art of feeling something...well, it was a _semi_-beautiful art. At the moment Nick was beginning to think Grissom was right all along. Stay away and you can't get hurt.

"No offense Griss...but why all the sudden do you care if I were to be...surprised by something like this? What's with the new found empathy?"

Grissom looked up from the spot on his desk he was focusing on. Grissom looked back down, away from Nick's eyes, and sighed deeply. He closed his eyes and turned them towards Nick before slowly opening them once again. "I've always cared Nick...I just...was confused by it."

Nick furred his brow. What was the older CSI trying to say...? "So now you're un-confused by it?"

"No...I'm more confused by it now than I ever was before...I just...I'm more knowledgeable on the subject."

"Of empathy."

"Of feeling." Grissom corrected. Nick searched the blue eyes for some sort of clue as to what he was saying. Suddenly he realized.

_He's still confused, he's more confused, knows that girlfriends can be a sensitive subject, he's trying to comfort me about my relationship disaster with Riley. But...why all of the sudden? _

Grissom seemed to be reading Nick's mind. "I um...I suspect that you and this girl were close..." Grissom smirked slightly, almost knowingly.

_Shit...even Griss knew how I felt about her before I did...question is, did Riley know..._

Nick nodded, just one quick motion of lowering and raising his head slightly. Grissom's smirk tuned into a sad smile and he nodded. "I...well, lately I...I know how that feels...being close to someone I mean."

"You have a girlfriend?" Nick's jaw hit the floor, and he picked it up quickly, ashamed at his reaction. Nick shook his head and Grissom blushed and ducked his head, still smiling at the revelation. "I'm sorry...I just...who...?"

Suddenly the office door opened, and Sara peeked her head in. "Grissom, Vartann and I are heading out to the victim's house. Are you joining us?"

Grissom blushed slightly and ducked his head, pretending to look for something in his drawer. "Uh...no. Y-you can handle this one yourself. Um...just page me with any new information."

Sara nodded and walked out. Nick turned away from the door, a knowing grin on his face. "You have a girlfriend named _Sara_...?"

Grissom kept his head in his desk drawer. He slowly sat back up, the grin still on Nick's face. "The point is Nick, it was pointed out to me that I could more...understand when it comes to you all." Grissom changed the subject slightly, and tried to suppress the grin rising to his face.

"That's why you didn't freak when I took off at the scene."

"For the past few months I had been suspecting that a woman had an effect on the new you...I figured that was her." Nick nodded and Grissom paused. "That doesn't mean I wasn't angry. I need to know you're not going to drop everything and come running if she gets upset here by some of the questions."

_No! **Hell **no! I got in big trouble last time I tried that!_

"Um, no. I tried that already, protecting something that isn't yours...she wasn't too happy."

Grissom smirked. "Sara use to be like that." Nick nodded. That wasn't exactly a secret around the lab. And then Grissom shocked the hell out of Nick again. "Do you need to talk about it?"

Nick almost reacted to hold his jaw in place as to not repeat the events from earlier. "Um...no. I uh...no."

Grissom nodded and looked back at his desk and the folder in front of him. "Okay..."

"When are you bringing her in?"

"Sometime Monday night. She's getting released from the hospital tomorrow and I figured I'd give her a day to recuperate...the doctor says she's doing good. She has full mobility back but she still isn't allowed to drive, at least according to her doctor, Brass said she refused and escort here so..."

Nick let a sad smile form on his face. "That's Riley."

Grissom furred his brow and slight panic came over his features. "Riley...? I'm talking about Bryn Turner."

Nick smiled. "She goes by the first half of her middle name, Riley."

Grissom leafed through the papers in the file and nodded slowly, then furred his brow. "Interesting..."

"What?"

"Her initials spell out BRAT."

Nick chuckled and stuck his tongue in his cheek. "Yeah." Was all he allowed himself to say.

"Okay...well if you don't have anything you want to talk about then you can go home for the day."

Nick nodded and stood, grabbed his bag, and headed towards the door. Suddenly he turned back to his boss. "Hey Griss..." Grissom looked up. "She um...she doesn't know that I work on this shift or that you're my boss..."

Grissom nodded, getting the hint. "I won't mention it. Same goes for you..." He raised his brow, as if that was the international signal for 'keep your mouth shut about me and Sara'.

Nick nodded. "I will. Thanks Grissom..." Nick cracked a smile. "Have a fun weekend...but not _too_ much fun." And scurried out of the room before anything more could be said.

* * *

Riley sat in the passenger seat of Deven's car, trying not to fall asleep. She had been up all night again. She and Kiersten had decided to stay up till four in the morning watching chick flicks, and had spotted a giant spider in Riley's bedroom. They were too scared of the spider to fall asleep and risk having it bite them (an unlikely event) while they were sleeping, so they decided to stay up all night.

She then got a call that the man working the accident case wanted to talk with her about what happened. She was too tired to comprehend the fact that she was going to Nick's place of work, but Deven wasn't...that was why he had offered to take her there.

She finally gave in and decided to rest her eyes when the car came to a stop. Deven reached over and brushed a stray hair, which had escaped from her pony tail, from her face. His hand lingered on her cheek and he gently shook her shoulder to wake her. She opened her eyes and tried to rub the tiredness from them with no such luck. She sighed and looked up to see the large building in front of her.

"Come on Ry..." Deven said softly. She climbed out of the car slowly, almost painfully, and walked beside Deven into the building. She didn't notice as the Denali, eerily similar to Nick's, pulled into the parking lot as she and Deven made their way into the building.

Deven's hand dropped to the small of her back and he steered her towards what appeared to be the receptionist's desk. "Riley Turner, here for questioning." She replied and the tiny red headed woman checked the list.

"Here." She handed them two identification tags and they walked back towards where the woman had directed.

Deven's hand steered her towards the Detective they had been introduced to the other day. "Ms. Turner?" He asked and Riley nodded. "Captain Brass, why don't you come with me. Sir, you can wait in that office right there. I'll be back shortly." Brass informed them and Deven reluctantly left Riley's side.

"Are you gonna be okay?" He asked before the detective led her away. She smiled.

"They're asking me questions Deven, like what you and Kit were doing all last night." She rolled her eyes and Deven chuckled.

"Don't push it Kid..." He warned teasingly and Riley rolled her eyes before Brass led her into the interview room.

"Do you need a cup of water, coffee, anything?" Brass asked and Riley's ears perked up.

"Actually, coffee would be amazing." She drawled and Brass smiled.

_Looks like we might have a nice Southern Belle for Nicky to drag him out of the slump he's been in the past few days. _

Unknown to Brass...she was the cause of the slump, that and Nick's ignorance. "Alright, I'll fetch our ex-lab rat. He's got the best coffee around." Riley smirked as Brass paged the young man. "You wanna play a joke and no doubt get a boost to your ego?" Brass asked in an attempt to relax the girl, she smirked a little and nodded.

A few minutes later he appeared. "I got your 911 Brass, what's up?" The eager man asked.

"I need a cup of coffee." He said smirking and Greg's face fell to the floor.

"You paged me for a cup of coffee...?" Greg asked slowly. Riley pursed her lips to keep from smiling, and she failed miserably. The detective was right, this was funny.

"It's not for me." Brass replied.

"You paged me for a cup of coffee for someone _else_...?"

"Yep. One cup of Blue Hawaiian...for her." Brass gestured to the pretty red head sitting at the table. She gave a soft smile and Greg lit up.

"One order of Blue Hawaiian comin up." He replied and rushed from the room. Riley chuckled and shook her head.

"And that little character was Greggo. Our faithful little ex-lab rat." Brass explained. Riley nodded slowly and pulled off her denim jacket, folding it in her lap. "Well, Gil should be in shortly...until then," He shrugged and sat down across from her. "So...where did you grow up in Texas?" He asked and Riley raised her brow. "The accent. I _am_ a detective, remember?" He teased and she chuckled.

"Fort Worth."

Brass opened his mouth to reply and inform her that they had a CSI from Texas on their team, when Grissom opened the door and stepped into the room. "Ah, and this, Ms. Turner, is Gil Grissom." Brass gestured to the slightly younger man as he sat down next to Jim. "I'll leave you to it then."

Just as Brass exited, Greg walked in and set the mug of coffee next to the girl, a huge grin plastered on his face. "The best coffee around, for the prettiest girl ever to walk through the doors." Greg stood back slightly and smiled at her.

Riley blushed. "Thanks." She drawled.

"Hey, are you from Texas?" Greg asked and she nodded. "That's cool, I have a friend named-"

"Greg, don't you have some paperwork to finish?" Grissom interrupted before Greg could spill the beans. Greg sulked for a second, before waving good bye to Riley and disappearing. He ran into Brass in the hallway and Brass smirked at the look on his face.

"I take it Grissom interrupted your little 'conversation' with the red head?" Brass asked and Greg rolled his eyes.

"Eh, I'll catch her before she leaves." Greg replied optimistically.

Brass chuckled and moved down the hallway. He saw Nick a few feet away with his head down, and Brass smiled. "Hey Nicky, how was your weekend?" Brass noted that the Texan was wearing a black T-shirt, dark wash jeans, and a pair of black boots. It seemed like he was dressing darker these days. Almost always in all black.

Nick shrugged. "It was okay...just did some work around the house. How 'bout you?" He asked politely, not putting much effort into the question. Truth be told, he was tired, miserable, and didn't really care much about anything lately.

"It was okay." Brass replied and continued his walk down the hall. Nick sighed and let his head fall back to it's original position of looking at his feet as he walked. He sighed and brought his head up to watch where he was walking when a flash of red hair caught his eye. He looked over and saw Riley sitting in the interview room, with her head down, staring at her hands folded on the table, talking to Grissom.

Nick stood there for a moment, then looked towards the door beside it...the room for the two way mirror. He bit his lip and gave into temptation...just for a minute...he just had to hear her voice...then he would leave. He closed the door behind them and walked over to the mirror. He felt a pang of ache flash through his heart as he saw a small smile form on her lips for second as she shook her head.

"No...no it was um, it was a gift from a friend...I got a thing for the Dukes of Hazard. I only had the car for a few days before I wrecked it again and sent it back to the shop." Riley admitted, smiling slightly. Grissom chuckled.

"It certainly is a unique car..." Grissom shook his head and looked at his notes. He slid on his glasses as he did so. "Where were you coming from when the accident occurred Ms. Turner?" He studied his notes for a few seconds longer, then looked up at her.

She had tensed for a moment, then ran her hand through her red hair. Nick tensed behind the mirror and scratched and the back of his neck. "From...from a f-friends house." She replied, trying to make it sound casual.

"Where does your friend live?" Grissom asked and she bit her lip.

"On Americana Blvd." She said softly and Grissom looked up at her quickly...Nick lived on Americana...that probably wasn't a coincidence. Grissom nodded and dropped his head to his notes again. Nick sighed from inside the other room and hung his head as he rocked on his heels.

"Did you see the car that hit you?" Grissom asked and she shook her head and closed her eyes.

"No. I was stopped at the light and I saw a car from about a mile down the road and I figured he was going to just pull up to the stop light...so I uh, I bent down to change the channels on my radio and when I looked up the car was coming at me full force..."

"Do you remember what time that was?"

"10:23 a.m."

Nick sighed and thought back to what he had been doing about that time...tearing apart his house. After Nick decided that he had tortured himself enough for one day, he quietly slipped out of the room and sighed as he began the short walk towards Brass' office to ask the detective a question. He knocked on the door and opened it when he heard Brass' voice invite him in.

"Hey Brass, what've you heard-" Nick stopped short when he saw Deven sitting across from the Captain's desk. Deven stood up and matched Nick's height. "Deven."

"Nick."

Brass looked between the two men...how did they know each other? Each man radiated jealousy and anger, making the tension in the room so thick, you couldn't cut it with a knife. And just when Brass thought the tension couldn't get any thicker...

"Thank you Ms. Turner. I'll contact you if I have anymore questions."

"Alright Mr. Grissom." Riley answered as they walked into Brass' office. Riley's eyes widened when she saw Nick...and her jaw fell open slightly when she saw Deven was standing next to him. "Nick..."

"Riley." Nick said softly. She folded her hands in front of her stomach and shifted uncomfortably.

No one had said anything for several minutes, and Brass motioned to Grissom with his eyes. He mouthed the words, 'What's going on?'

And Grissom just shrugged and looked back to the three people in front of him.

"Awkward." Riley noted gaining everyone's attention. She blushed as if she hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"Can we talk?" Nick asked her.

"No." Deven objected, and everyone then turned to face him.

"Well good because I didn't want to talk to _you_." Nick snapped and turned back to Riley. "_Riley_...please..."

She shifted uncomfortably and pushed her hair from her eyes. "I uh...I don't think this is really the place."

"So then we'll talk somewhere private..."

Riley sighed in defeat and nodded slightly. Nick quickly escorted her from the room, his hand guiding her by the small of her back like Deven had earlier. Seeing this, Deven clenched his teeth and balled his hands into fists.

Nick led Riley down the hall and to the break room. She turned once the door was closed and looked at him tiredly. "What?"

"You look tired." He noted.

"I am. Did you bring me here just to tell me that?" She drawled.

"No...we need to talk. We were supposed to do that at the hospital..." Nick gave an unfriendly smile and she scowled.

"I was tired that night. I'm sorry that was an inconvenience to you but I was just in a car accident, I had a bunch of different sedatives goin through me, and I had just had an exhausting conversation with Deven..."

"So you didn't want to talk to me because you had just dealt with Deven." Nick clarified, his accent growing as thick as hers was.

"No, I didn't want to talk to anyone. I even turned Kiersten away that night. I just wanted to sleep. And if I remember correctly you never made an attempt to see me after that."

"That's because I thought you didn't want to see me."

"Well that didn't stop you before and it isn't stopping you now..."

"I was caught up with work. I had a big case and I didn't even have time to go home..."

_Not that I really wanted to anyway..._

"Well, we're here now so talk."

"...I wanted to say I'm sorry. I wanted to say that I shouldn't have judged ya'll like that...I'm a crime scene investigator...I should have followed the evidence."

_Damn...Griss was right again. _

"Yeah. You should have."

"I...when I saw you hug him I was angry...and then I saw you k-" He caught himself before he could finish the word. "...Peck him on the cheek and I flipped."

"I was excited about my new car...he's my friend."

"I know that now."

"You know...it really hurt when you confronted me like you did. You lied to me over the phone and said nothin was wrong, you were sharp with me, and then you started yellin..." Nick swallowed the lump in his throat and looked down. "I don't know what hurt more...the fact that you even thought I would cheat on you...or how you didn't even believe me when I said I didn't. You didn't trust me...and trust is everything in a relationship. You know what hurt the most...out of everything that we fought about..."

Nick shook his head.

She gulped back the lump in her throat and fought against the tears that were threatening to fall. "The fact that I knew what it was like to think that the person you trusted the most did that to you...when I found out Deven did what he did...I hated him. I mean I physically hated him." She sniffled and looked away, shaking her head. "I just wanted him to drop off the face of the Earth and all memory of him to be gone. All memory...even the good times. I didn't want to remember _anything_ about him...he hurt me that much. And then when you...stood there...giving me the same look I gave him..." She wiped at the tears that were falling down her cheeks. Nick gulped and tried to blink back the tears, refusing to cry in front of her. "I felt horrible...especially because I didn't even cheat. I thought you hated me for no reason." She replied through her tears, her accent thick with emotion.

Nick felt like someone had reached into his chest, yanked out his heart and drop kicked it into a lions den...probably the same way she felt. "Ry...I never hated you."

"You didn't do much to disprove that theory at the time. And you didn't even listen when I tried to explain..." Fresh tears began to pour from her unusually sad baby blue eyes.

He looked at her and bit his lip. "I know. But I thought, that when Deven...cheated, on you...I don't know. I thought that maybe you'd cheat on me out of anger." Nick replied, his voice cracking.

She shook her head. "Why would I cheat with the guy that cheated on me?" Nick shrugged. "I wouldn't even take Deven back when I was lonely and almost desperate for human contact...why would I sleep with him after I already had you...? You were all I needed..." The use of the past tense made Nick wince and look away. "If I was going to prove a point at all I wouldn't have even cheated...you know how Southern women get back at men that scorned them..."

A small smirk crept up on Nick's face and he nodded. "I know it well..."

"We go after the truck or the house...eight times outta ten it's the truck. We'll key it, spray paint it, take a baseball bat to the head and tail lights, cut the tires...then if we know the girl you cheated with we go after the house ya'll are livin in and tear it to pieces." Riley replied, not able to keep the smile off her face at the thought.

Nick raised his brow in suspicion as his grin grew, having a good idea what the answer would be to the question he was about to ask. "Did you go after Deven's truck?" She closed her mouth and let her pursed lips and glint of mischief in her eye do the talking for her. Nick let out a chuckle and shook his head. "Hell hath no furry like a Southern woman scorned." He drawled and she chuckled softly.

"Well...at least in mine and Kit's case..."

Nick looked at her, all playfulness gone from his voice, a more serious tone taking its place. "I've missed you Riley...I couldn't even stand to be at my house...I slept at a hotel the past few nights I actually got away from work...and even then I hardly slept."

_And each time I did go to sleep, I woke up from a night terror, either about the box, the god damn babysitter, Mrs. Hendler, fuckin Nigel Crane, Kristy...or on fucked up nights like last night when it was a combination of them all. Oh yes, times have been fun without you Darlin... _

She nodded. "Me too." She answered softly, snapping him from his thoughts. "I missed you Nick." She admitted and Nick let a small smile creep to his face. "I'm sorry that I was so-"

Nick silenced her by pressing his lips to hers. She was a bit taken back by him, but soon she kissed him back and wrapped her arms around him, bringing him closer to her. Nick pulled away and looked at her for a moment, then blinked a few times to make sure she didn't vanish before his eyes.

She bit her already swollen lip to keep from smiling. "What are you doing?" She asked.

Nick blushed at his need to prove she was real. "I uh...I just wanted to make sure it was really you." He mumbled and she chuckled, pursing her lips to keep from bursting out in laughter.

"It's really me...I'm really here."

Nick nodded and rested his head against hers, kissing her lips softly and smiling. She leaned up to press her lips back into his fiercely as if she had been wandering the desert for days, and Nick's lips were her only source of water. Nick's hands gripped her back tightly, as one slid up the back of her tiny green cotton T-shirt, he caressed the silky skin underneath.

"_Ahem_..." Someone cleared their throat, dragging Nick's attention away from Riley's lips and skin. Riley and Nick whipped around to face Greg staring at them downheartedly. "Damnit Nick, I saw her first." Greg whined and Riley blushed.

"Uh, yeah...sorry Greggo..." Nick replied, trying not to blow their cover just yet. So far only Grissom and Greg knew for sure that he was seeing someone. "Listen...could you uh...could you keep this quiet?" Nick asked and Greg scowled, but nodded his head.

"Fine." He breathed. "But, Nick, what happened to that _'cat'_ Warrick was talking about all the time...I mean if you're sucking on anyone's face, no offense," He waved to Riley and she shrugged. "Shouldn't it be the _'cat'_ that was responsible for those scratches and bite marks?"

Riley pursed her lips to hide a triumphant smile and stepped forward. "I'm guessin that's me..." Nick nodded. "Hi, I'm Riley. I'm the uh, _'vicious cat'_." She shook Greg's hand, who at the moment was slapping himself, and Nick chuckled.

"Alright, enough talk about my personal life. Please keep it to yourself Greg?" Nick asked and escorted Riley out of the room.

_

* * *

Tee hee...YAY! Our happy little couple is (probably) a happy little couple again. (I say probably because I might be mean and make something else go wrong...) You'll just have to read (and review) to find out:)_

_-Chella Belle_


	11. Chapter 11

_Alright, I know some people were hoping for some passion fueled make up lovin in this chapter...but sorry, no such luck. As you may or may not (which I don't understand how you could) remember, Riley was just in a car accident. She isn't in the best physical position to be...getting in physical positions –waggles eyebrows and laughs at pitiful pun—sorry, I couldn't resist. _

_But anyway, look at the bright side, when they do get to make up...it'll be like thunder! In case some of you newbies haven't heard, to quote one of my reviewers on my other book... "_Dude, you're probably the best ever at SHEER TORTURE!" _Chuckles...see, all of my couples get tortured in the sex department one way or another...I don't play favorites...lol. _

_And just FYI, this is a really fluffy chapter...just lots of fluff, then some more fluff, and then...more fluff...but it starts out with some drama...(only because too much fluff makes me sick...blech!) _

_Okay, I'll stop now and let ya'll read this book..._

**

* * *

Chapter 11**

_(Two mornings later) _

Nick stepped out of the locker room after showering the decomp off of him. He tossed the bag of lemons and the clothes he had been wearing into the garbage by the door and started off down the hall to the stairs of the building. He still had problems going into small spaces such as elevators and closets.

He jogged down the stairs, and practically flew out the door, still uneasy even in the narrow staircase. He regained composure and walked out the front doors, and slid on his sun glasses to shield the sun from his sensitive brown eyes. He sighed and gripped his bag with other clothes and necessities for work tighter as he went to his car, climbed in, and drove out of the parking lot, towards the direction of his and Riley's usual diner for breakfast.

He pulled his car into the first empty space he saw and walked into the diner, pulling off his sun glasses as he did so. He spotted their usual booth, but it was currently occupied by a brunette with her back to him. He scanned the diner, looking for her, but saw her no where. He sighed and walked up to the counter, resting his hands against it as he did so. "Hey Nick." The familiar woman behind the counter greeted.

"Hey Trixie, have you seen Riley today?"

The girl smiled and shook her head. "Sorry Nicky. Can I get you something anyway?" She asked, a big smile on her face. Nick gave a polite smile and shook his head.

"No thanks. Have a nice day Trixie." He drawled and she blushed.

_Damn that man is too cute for his own good..._

She thought and waved goodbye. Nick sighed as he looked around, pulled out his cell phone, and dialed her house number. A familiar voice answered on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Hey, Kiersten, it's Nick. Is Riley there?"

"No...she hasn't been home since you picked her up last night." Kiersten answered and Nick bit his lip as worry began to rise within him. "Why? Is something wrong?"

He could hear the slight panic in Kiersten's voice and he shook his head even though she couldn't see him. "No. I'm sure everything's fine. She's probably still at the bar..." Though he wasn't quite sure why she would still be there.

"No, Deven and Jabari said she left as soon as her shift was over...that was almost six hours ago."

"Don't worry Kiersten, I'm sure she's fine. I'm going to look for her."

"Do you want my help?"

"Nah, she's probably drivin around." Nick drawled.

"In a cab? Her car is still in the shop..."

_Uh oh..._

"Just don't worry. I'll find her."

There was silence on the other end for a long time. "You better." She finally said and hung up the phone. Nick bit his lip again and practically ran to his car.

* * *

Almost four hours later there was still no sign of Riley. He had gone to the hospital, the lab, the bar, back to the diner, to her house, the auto shop, checked the hotels (having to flash his CSI ID and a nice smile for most of them), and anywhere else he could think of.

He was seriously considering reporting her missing, when he pulled into his driveway and dropped his jaw. "Riley?" He jumped from the car and ran to hug the red head on his doorstep.

"Uh Nick...I need to breathe." She gasped and he let up on the pressure, still not releasing her from his arms. "Damn, where the hell have you been? I was starting to get worried."

Nick finally pulled away to look at her. "_You _were getting worried? I've been driving around for forever trying to find you! Kiersten was about ready to castrate me for loosing you. I checked everywhere I could think of..."

Riley shook her head. "I've been here the whole time. I was going to surprise you." She stated and Nick sighed and shook his head.

"Well...I'm surprised..." He kissed her softly on the lips and she smiled.

"Kay, C'mon. I'm cooking you breakfast." She turned towards his door and waited for him to open it. Nick bit his lip and made no move to unlock it. "..._Any_ time now." She replied not turning around. Nick chuckled and spun her towards him.

"We can't go in there."

"Well not until you unlock the door..."

"No, I mean...it's a mess."

"Nick, you are cleaner then any man I've ever met. Plus I live with like five guys...I can handle it, trust me."

"Um...no, I uh...I kinda tore the house apart after you left that day...after the bar fight."

"I already saw the whiskey, blood stain, and hole in your bedroom...how bad can it be?"

"Worse than you think..." Nick mumbled and unlocked the door. It swung open and she flicked on the light, gasping at what she saw.

"Holy fuck Nick...and after you made a mess did a tornado come through here?"

"I warned you..."

"Jesus...what the Hell..." She held up her ankle sock. "Is this mine? And what did the couch do to you that you had to beat the shit out of it?"

"Uh, yes it's yours...and, it's not necessarily what the couch did to me...as to what _we did_ on the couch..."

"Then I don't want to see your mattress or anywhere else in your room..."

"Good. Cause I wasn't gonna show you..." Nick bit his lip and looked at her nervously. He felt like a little kid getting in trouble for doing something he had done a long time ago, that his mother wasn't yelling at him for...but giving him '_the look'_.

She saw the stain on the wall and furred her eyebrows. "Is that wine?"

"Yeah, I chucked the bottle that we bought on our '2 months'..."

"Okay, change of plans..." She said, taking in a breath.

_Oh shit...here comes break up #2..._

"We're going to go grab breakfast at the diner, because I'm sure you're as hungry as I am, then we're going to Home Depot for stuff to fix this place up with, then we're going to buy cleaners and paint..."

"I already got most of the stuff from Home Depot. And you are not helping me fix this. This is my mess, not yours."

"Well it's my fault."

"No it's not. I was angry. This isn't your fault. Some of this had to do with cases from work and a bunch of other shit that's been buggin me." He drawled and she sighed.

"Well it _is_ my problem because we're together...what's mine is yours what yours is mine. That's how it goes." She explained and pecked him on the lips.

"Did the doctor say you're not allowed to a lot of manual labor?"

"Yes...but I won't tell him if you don't..." She grinned deviously and Nick shook his head.

"No uh. Doctor's orders...and doctor said no."

"Well fine. I'll make you do all the physical stuff."

Nick gave her a cheeky grin and pulled her close to him. "You just wanna see me flex my muscles." He said next to her ear, in a deep throaty voice, his lips brushing her ear slightly.

"Damn straight." She chuckled and ran her hands along his back, gripping at the muscles she loved so much through his shirt.

He bent his head down to her neck and kissed her, trailing kisses along her neck and shoulders. "Say, did the doctor say you couldn't..." He waggled his eyebrows. "Do it?"

She laughed and swatted his arm playfully. "Yes actually he did."

Nick's face fell and he rolled his eyes. "Damn doctor." He cursed and kissed her neck again. "He doesn't know what he's talkin about..." He ran his hands slowly down her arms, then up the front of her shirt to cup her breast. She chuckled and pulled his hands away.

"Oh no you don't _Mr. Stokes_, doctors orders." She replied and pushed him away playfully. "Think of it as a cruel irony..." Nick moaned and she tugged on his hand, leading him out the door. "Now...feed me." She ordered and Nick chuckled, closing the door behind them as they left.

* * *

Three hours later, Nick and Riley stepped back into the disaster that was Nick's house. Riley sighed. "Okay, first things first, we clean up." She handed him a garbage bag and took one for herself. As she made a move to go back towards the bedroom and hallway the photograph of them that Nick had broken immediately flashed to his mind, and Nick quickly stopped her.

"Um, how about, I'll take the bedroom, hallway, and back of the house, it's the messiest. You can have the living room and front of the house." Nick replied and she nodded.

Almost twenty minutes later Riley walked back to Nick's room, holding a very broken mini radio. "Um..." She began and held up the radio and Nick looked up at her, a guilty expression covering his handsome face. "I think we need to head over to House, Home, and Living after this...you need new things Nicky." She held up the radio, a smirk on her face despite the situation. "What did your radio ever do to you?"

Nick bit his lip and scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I um...when I was still angry I figured music would help me calm down..."

Riley shook her head sadly, "No, no, no...International Rules of Breaking-Up Rule #4, never listen to the radio when suffering a break up...that's when all the love songs begin to play."

Nick chuckled, "Well...it was more like songs describing what I was going through..." He chuckled uncomfortably. "Yeah, I was a little pissed at the radio..."

"Oooh...that's why when you're angry you're supposed to hang out with friends. No television, no radio, and no shopping."

"Why no shopping?"

She smiled. "Cause you'll blow all your credit cards on shoes and gallons and gallons of Ben and Jerry's...girls are not allowed to enter any stores until they are emotionally stable. Instead, they sit at home with their best girlfriends and eat low fat ice cream and pancakes while wearing their comfy pajamas and slippers, and cuddling up to a favorite blankey or a stuffed animal..."

"So...that's what you and Kiersten did after we broke up?"

"Nah, ya think I listen to the rules? Hell no, I went shoe shopping." She chuckled and Nick smiled and kissed her forehead. "Okay, okay...quit bein all smoochy, we've got work to do." She joked and pushed him away playfully. Nick smiled and shook his head.

"All business and paying hard-to-get...me likey." He waggled his eye brows and grabbed her arm, yanking her back to him. She chuckled as he backed her up and pressed her gently against the wall as he devoured her with kisses. His hands roamed down her body, exploring the well sculpted form he had missed so dearly, and he dipped his fingers inside the sides of her baggy jeans and tugged them towards his own body. He smiled mischievously, "Darlin...only you could make baggy jeans sexy."

She chuckled and replied in a throaty voice, "You should see me when that's all I'm wearin."

Nick moaned and grabbed her ass, and lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist. She chuckled and pushed him away and slid back down the wall. "Nicky, there isn't anywhere we can do this...you beat the shit out of your bed...and the couch...and the floor is a mess."

"What about the shower?"

She chuckled as he continued kissing her neck and exposed shoulders and collarbone. "No...I'm not even supposed to be doing this when I'm lying down, what makes you think I can do it in the shower."

Nick groaned and pulled away, removing his hands from the sides of her hips, and pressed them to the wall on either sides of her head. "I think I'm gonna go kill your doctor."

"So long as you dispose of the evidence and hide the body where no one will ever find it. I just got you back...I don't think I could handle if you were sent to prison." She commented and ducked under his arm to get back to work. He chuckled and tied up the garbage bag he had filled with ruined items in his room.

"I'm done in here...what next?"

* * *

Almost four hours later they had patched up the holes in the walls, cleaned up the house, and all of the ruined furniture sitting on the sidewalk waiting to be picked up, and they were now laying down the tarp so they could paint the walls. Riley had changed into a pair of baggy jeans and a tiny white T shirt. It already had several oil stains, paint stains, and a few rips in it.

She had opened up the main color for the walls, it was Chinese Green. "Are we painting all the walls or just the ones we fixed?"

"...Which is all of them...so yeah. Every wall but the ones in the kitchen and the bathroom..." He answered and she nodded and began stirring the paint.

"I love painting...its fun." She stated absently and he smiled and shook his head.

"I think you like inhaling the paint fumes..." He teased and she threw a stirring stick at him.

"No, that would be Shaun...and Kiersten...and Pot Roast...and everyone else I hang out with..."

"Including you." Nick teased, taking comfort in the fact she couldn't hit him with anything else...WRONG. She took the stick with paint on the end, and swung it at him, splashing him with green paint. He yelped in surprise and she laughed at his reaction.

"Nice scream...it wasn't very manly." She joked and he flung some of the Valley Blue paint at her. She gasped in shock and threw some more paint at him. He threw some back before finally holding up his hands.

"Okay...we gotta stop or we're not gonna have any paint left to paint with." She smiled mischievously, but sighed and began piling her freshly 'painted' hair up on her head. She turned around and began pouring the paint into the tin when Nick noticed the mark on her neck. "Hey...what is that...? Is that a tattoo!" He asked and walked over to brush hid fingers over the small, black, Chinese writing.

"Yeah."

"Hm...I knew you had one on your hip...which is _what_ again...?"

She chuckled and stood up from her position on the floor. She turned to face him and pulled down the jeans slightly to reveal the tattoo of the Zodiac sign for Scorpio in black, with a dragonfly behind it. "My zodiac sign..."

"Ah...now what's the one on your neck? I still can't believe it took me almost three months to realize it was there..."

She smiled. "It's the word 'friends' in Chinese...Kiersten has the matching one, the word 'best' in Chinese on her neck...we got 'em for our sixteenth birthdays..."

"Your parents didn't care?"

"Well, my Dad did..."

"I figured your Dad would...he's a hard ass." He replied and Riley laughed.

"Hell yeah...and I'm just like him...but my mom was like a hippy/hillbilly/redneck...so...she thought it was awesome...got one herself..." She laughed. "Then she got my dad drunk and took him out to get one so he'd quit naggin us about ours." She drawled and Nick laughed.

"Let me guess...the getting him drunk and inked was your idea wasn't it..."

She smiled deviously and looked away. "Maybe...he was **so** pissed at me...I got grounded for a month..."

"What are their tattoos?"

"My mom's says 'Keith' in a fancy writing with a rose wrapped around it. And my dad's says 'Hope' with a pair of wedding rings looped together underneath it. And they were my idea...so I at least get some good credit comin my way..."

"Did he get it removed?"

"Nah...he's still got it...then we talked him into getting another one. It's on the same place on his other bicep, but it's the head of an eagle. He said it made him look tough, so he went out and bought a Harley and a leather vest and became a **real **hard ass..."

"Whoa."

"Then my Uncle Larry got a huge tattoo on his back...you'll never guess what it was..."

"Um...a Harley?" She shook her head. "A giant cigarette?" She shook her head. "I give up."

She laughed. "A bottle of Jim Beam, a full bottle of Jim Beam."

"No he didn't!"

Riley laughed and nodded...he brought the bottle of Jim Beam with him to the tattoo parlor to numb the pain, the family tradition, but he couldn't decide what to get...eventually he decided on the bottle." Riley relayed and Nick shook his head laughing.

"Ya'll are all nuts." He declared.

She laughed. "And then my sister, Paige, she got the words 'Tommy's Girl' on her lower back, Tom is her husband, and then when she got drunk, she got a picture of a cigarette on her ankle."

"Wow...ya'll get drunk a lot...and then decide to get tattooed...hmm..."

"Don't even think about getting me drunk then getting me inked again..." She replied and Nick held up his hands in surrender. "Then each of my brothers got drunk and tattooed for their 21st birthdays..."

"So...is everyone in your family tattooed?" She nodded. "What about all your friends...besides Kiersten?"

"Um...Shaun has a pot leaf on his shoulder, Pot Roast has a pot roast on his back, um...Marty has the words 'Fuck You' in Japanese on his neck, Joey has the words 'Sex Machine' in Japanese on his neck, Jon has a riffle on his arm, and Deven has the word..." She stopped before she could finish it, finally realizing her mistake. A small smile spread across Nick's face and he raised an eyebrow.

"Has the word..._Riley_?"

She shook her head. "No, he's got BRAT in big black letters with a red rose between his shoulder blades..." Her spot. Whenever she hugged him, or comforted him, her hands always found their way to that spot...much like in the hospital.

Nick nodded and dipped the paint roller in the paint. "Shall we start?" He drawled and she smiled.

* * *

Riley wandered over to Nick's wall that he had finished painting and inspecting. "Hmm...you missed a spot."

"Where?" Nick asked.

She quickly put a dab of paint on his cheek and took off running. "There!" She called over her shoulder as Nick chased after her. She squealed as he gained on her. They ran in and out of rooms, around the furniture, and she jumped over the counter in his living room, only to land back in the living room. He tried to do the same, but ended up falling down, to which he grabbed her arm and pulled her down with him.

He crawled up her torso and pinned her to the floor as she squirmed and tried to get away. "Hey! No rough housing! Doctor's orders." She teased and Nick gasped and began to tickle her.

"You started it!" Nick claimed and she winced in pain.

"Ow."

Nick immediately stopped and let her get from underneath him. "Oh God Ry...I'm sorry baby. Oh Geez I didn't mean to..." An evil smile spread across her face and Nick gasped in shock. "You little liar!" He pulled her back over to him and pinned her down once again. "That wasn't nice...I felt bad."

"Aww..." She said while laughing. "I'm sorry baby...want me to make you feel better?"

"No! You'll only end up turning me on, then leave me alone..." He accused and she chuckled. "Which by your smile I'm guessing was your plan...you're not very nice to me." He accused and she smiled.

"Yeah, I know...but then I make up for it by being_ really_ nice to you."

"That's true...are you a little slutty Ms. Turner?" He teased and she swatted his arm.

"No! I'm adventurous...and only with you baby." She cupped his face and kissed him softly. Nick deepened the kiss and lifted her up so that she was pressed against him. Nick felt her nipples tugging against the material covering them, and Nick's hand slowly went from her back to the front of her shirt, and over the sensitive mound.

She gasped and Nick pulled his hand away, afraid that had been too much for her, but she pulled his head back down to hers to devour his lips with hers. Nick gently laid her down on the tarp and began to massage her breast, tweaking her nipple between his thumb and pointer finger. She moaned into his mouth and slowly ran her hands down his muscular back, gripping at his muscles.

Nick's lips traveled down her neck, when he suddenly pulled away. He moaned in misery and looked into her arousal filled eyes. "What...? What is it?" She asked, her voice thick and husky, only stirring his arousal more.

"We can't Honey..."

"Aww...come on..." She pleaded. "I won't tell the doctor..."

"No Darlin...I don't want to risk hurting you or stressing your body too much."

"You won't. It's a well known fact that sex relieves stress." She argued.

"But I don't have any more protection..." She moaned and let her hands drop from him and she pouted. He smiled apologetically. "Sorry...come on, before the paint dries..."

* * *

They had finished painting all of the walls green, with a blue trim and ceiling. Riley sighed and looked around. "Okay...I think that's enough for one day...we can finish this tomorrow. C'mon cowboy, you're stayin at my place."

Nick laughed. "Alright...but no trying to seduce me." He joked and she chuckled.

"Alright...but if you fall for my innate 'hotness', tackle me to the bed and screw me through the mattress...I cannot be held accountable." She replied and Nick laughed.

"I'll try to keep my hands off you."

"Eh, it's not the hands I'm worried about..." She teased and Nick swatted her butt as they walked out of his house.

_

* * *

Okay...fluff...Yay fluff... :) Now, review...it makes me happy...and I can't write if I'm not happy... (hint hint)_

_-Chella Belle _


	12. Chapter 12

_Okay...not much to say besides...I own nothing...which you've all pretty much guessed by now. Wait! That isn't entirely true...I own Riley, and Kiersten, and Deven, and Shaun, and Pot Roast, and Tony, and Troy, and Jabari, and Marcus, and Jon, and Thomas, and CJ, and Porsche, and Brittany, and Joey, and Marty...and I'm bringin in two new characters...Sal and Emma...I own them both...don't worry, you'll love them. (Well, if you love all the other non-CSI characters, then you'll love Emma and Sal!) _

_Just so everyone knows (I forgot to mention this in earlier chapters) there are mentions of slash and bisexuality...if that ain't your thang...don't read (but I'm guessin it doesn't bother ya'll or ya would've bailed when ya met Marcus Troy and Thomas). Nothin hardcore slash...just mentions of it. Both ways, femmslash and...guyslash...(is there a name for that...? Am I just that dumb?) _

_**Rating:** **M** for language (as always) mentions of some 'paraphernalia' (ya'll know what kind I'm talkin about...) and mature themes... And forewarning...LOTS of FLUFF!_

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 12**

_(Two weeks and one day later- Wednesday) _

Riley walked down the stairs of the house and reached around herself to scratch her back and yawn. She sighed and walked into the kitchen (ignoring the fact that several people she didn't know were passed out on the couch and on the floor). She began to assemble the coffee pot make the coffee she so desperately needed every morning. She hadn't worked in almost a week, and she was slowly slipping back into the routine of a normal person, sleeping nights and working days. She checked her watch and jumped up to sit on the counter, making a mental reminder to herself that she had to wake Nick up in a few minutes.

She had sighed and leaned her head back against the cabinets and closed her eyes when she felt a strong pair of hands slide up her thighs and settle on her hips, underneath the Texas State T-shirt she was wearing. "If those are anyone's besides Nick's hands you have one second to get them off me before I cut 'em off." Riley drawled and Nick's sweet Southern drawl filled her ears.

"As long as you leave on other appendages...I think we'll be okay." He leaned up and kissed the dip of her neck softly. She smiled and opened her eyes.

"How did you sleep?"

"Good...how 'bout you?"

She nodded. "Good...why are you up so early...its like 8 in the morning. Aren't you normally getting off work right about now?"

Nick watched as she resumed the position she had before he walked into the room. "Yeah...but I'm not that tired." She rose a skeptically eyebrow at him without opening her eyes and Nick rolled his eyes. "I'll be fine BRAT."

She swatted his arm and shot him a playful glare. "Ugh! Don't call me BRAT...I _hate_ that nickname."

Nick rubbed his arm and chuckled at her. "Ow...you're mean in the mornings."

"And useless until I have coffee in me."

"Do you get nicer when you have coffee?" Nick teased, already knowing the answer was yes. She leaned in to him and brushed her lips lightly over his before pulling away slightly. Nick leaned up and smothered her lips with his, desperate for the taste of her. She smiled against his lips and continued kissing him, parting her lips slightly (almost teasingly) and wrapped her arms around his neck. His hands went from bracing himself on the counter beside her thighs, to the generous curve of her ass, where he gripped the flesh there and pulled her towards him. Her legs wrapped round his legs and gripped the muscles of his back, digging her nails into the soft flesh, covered by the cotton shirt he was wearing.

"Ahem..." A voice cleared its throat and Nick and Riley broke apart to see Shaun smiling knowingly. He chuckled and nodded, giving Nick a thumbs-up sign of approval. "Nice..."

Riley glared and chucked a potato chip from an open bag lying on the counter next to them. "Fuck off Shaun."

"Might as well, seems like Nick's about to." Shaun joked, knowing Riley was about to pound his ass so far into the ground he'd come out the other end so he took off running. Nick grabbed Riley as she jumped forward and held in against him while she tried to go after Shaun. Nick tried to suppress a chuckle (failing miserably) as he waited fro Riley to calm down, several minutes and dozens of threats of castration on Shaun's behalf, she had finally calmed down and Nick set her back on the ground, not yet releasing her.

She blushed and shook her head. "He's dead when you let me go..." She warned him and Nick's devious smile grew as he lifted her up so she could once again wrap her legs around his waist.

"Well then I guess I just can't let you go now can I?" He drawled and she waggled her eyebrows.

"Well look how nicely that worked out..." She drawled right back and Nick chuckled and leaned in for another kiss. Before their lips met the door to the kitchen opened and an unfamiliar curvaceous brunette appeared. Nick and Riley looked over to see the timid looking girl standing in the doorway, a blush on her face.

"Oh...sorry...I uh I-I-I just...Porsche said I could get a glass of water..." The girl said, trying to look away from the couple, who as of late grew accustomed to being intruded upon.

Riley furred her brow. "Porsche? What's Porsch doin here?" Riley slid from Nick's arms and looked up at him. "Was she here after I went to sleep?"

"I don't know. I clonked out like two seconds after you did." Nick answered and Riley went off in search of her cousin. Nick began to follow her out, but turned around to the brunette. "The water's in the fridge." He informed the girl. "I'm Nick." He waved to her and she smiled.

"Emma...Emma Forners." She replied and waved back. Nick smiled and followed the path Riley had taken. He saw that Pot Roast, Troy, Marcus, Tony, Jabari, and CJ had joined Shaun in the living room.

"Where's-" Before Nick could finish his question of where Riley had disappeared to everyone pointed to the stairs. He followed the direction and looked around the hall when he reached the top of the stairs. "Ry?" He called and waited for a response, there was none. He walked to the end of the hall and knocked on her door. "Riley...Darlin you in here?"

The door opened and a thin brunette answered the door. Nick's attention was drawn to the ring through her eyebrow, the stud in her lip, many ear peircings, and deep green eyes. She raised her brow and smiled politely at him, blocking the opening of the door with her tiny frame. "Yeah?" She asked and Nick looked behind her.

"Is Riley in there?" He drawled and the girl nodded.

"BRAT! There's a hot guy with an accent at your door for you!" She called and walked into the room, allowing Nick entrance. Nick slowly walked in and watched as the girl lit up a cigarette, while toying with her Pink Floyd necklace. Riley appeared from the open bathroom doorway, Kiersten soon following. Riley smiled at the slightly frightened look on Nick's face at Porsche's boldness...not to mention the fact that she was wearing nothing but a matching black and red bra that was practically see through.

Riley's hand rushed to her mouth to stifle the laughter as Porsche sat down on the bed and Nick looked at the ceiling absently. Kiersten's jaw hit the floor, but she picked it up in time to laugh.

"Yep...that'd be her cowboy..." Kiersten answered.

"He's a very good cowboy...he looked in my eyes the whole time." Porsche noted, smiling over at Riley and winking in approval. Riley chuckled and shrugged. "Any other man in this house would've tackled me to the bed and fucked me into oblivion."

Riley blushed at her cousins innate blatant nature. Nick shrugged and looked at Porsche's eyes once again."No offense, but the only half naked body I wanna see is Riley's." Nick replied and Porsche and Kiersten chorused in 'awwww'.

Riley smiled and ducked her head. "Uh...yeah, so Porsch...the uh, the girl down there..."

"Oh fuck! I forgot Emma was here!" Porsche jumped up from the bed and Riley laughed.

"Is that how you treat all your girlfriends?"

"No...I was stoned outta my mind, drunk off my ass, and flyin higher than a kite, how the hell am I supposed to remember my girlfriend!"

"Ya know, Deven said that _exact _thing to me once..." Riley noted remembering back and nodding slightly.

"Yeah, but cut the guy some slack hypocrite, you were baked at the time too!" Kiersten accused and Riley quickly covered her best friend's mouth with her hand.

She laughed nervously as Nick raised his brow and smiled in slight astonishment. Riley glared at the two other women in the room. "Uh _hello_...did we forget my cowboy is a cop?"

"Copologist." Nick corrected (as he always did).

Porsche palled and looked at him worriedly. "You're a cop?"

"_Scientist..._actually."

"But you work with cops?"

"Yeah." He answered and Porsche looked at Riley worriedly. Riley shook her head, closed her eyes, and sighed heavily. She waved away whatever thought Porsche had and looked back to Kiersten, who shook her head. Nick watched the exchange with curiosity and confusion at how these three women could communicate so well with their eyes.

_Must come from years of friendship..._

Riley sighed again and shook her head, then took Nick's hand and led him out of the room. "C'mon cowboy...we're goin back to your place..." Nick moaned in protest. She still didn't know why he hated going there so much, he had opted for the coward's way out, and leaving it till the last minute, or not at all. She shook her head and laughed. "No arguing! We have to get the last little bit of furniture in, then we can get it all set up and you will have a house again."

Nick sighed, "Aww...you mean I don't get to stay with you anymore...?" He pouted and wrapped his arms around her from behind as they walked down the hall. He stopped her and spun her around so he could look at her reaction.

She chuckled. "You're gonna miss me? Damn...I figured you'd be practically giddy to get out of a house with five guys, two girls, and tons of people comin and goin in between."

Nick smiled and shook his head. "No. Truth be known I actually like it here...maybe I could move into your room and you could have my house." Nick joked and she shook her head fervently.

"No. Hell no! No offense Darlin, but I'm so use to having tons of housemates and bein surrounded by boys and Kiersten...besides, I don't think you could handle this crowd all by yourself."

"Eh, I'd have Kiersten...she's all the help I need."

"No doubt there. But she'd probably end up kickin your ass for doin things wring or just bein a dumbass."

Nick gaped at her in mock-horror, his smile shining through. "Ouch! Hey...you're the dumbass in this relationship." He accused and she gave him a playful look.

"Am not."

"Are too."

"And why is that?"

"Because you took me back..." He said soberly and she pursed her thick lips to keep the smile off her face.

"Aww...you big sap." She nudged him and he rolled his eyes.

"Damn Ry, you don't go for that whole 'romance thing' do ya?"

She laughed as they continued down the hall and stairs. "Duh! How long have we been together and you're _just now_ figuring this out...? But in my defense I'm not totally opposed to it."

"Not totally opposed to what?" Jabari asked curiously.

"Romance."

The guys scoffed and rolled their eyes. "Puh-leeze! Ms. Redneck Woman over here! Hell no...unless she's watchin a movie and its all romantic...she likes those. And there's certain ways she likes to be made 'swoon'." Thomas informed him and Nick nodded, knowing it all through trial and error.

"Ms. Bryn Riley-Ann Turner confusing her man...? Never!" A voice from the doorway called and everyone looked over to see a petite man standing in the door way.

Riley's jaw dropped and a smile appeared on her face as she ran over and captured the man in a hug. "Sal! What the hell are you doin here?" She asked in joy, releasing him from the embrace. Sal was a few inches shorter than Riley with sandy blonde hair and gelled to spike like Greg's. His brown eyes seemed to brighten along with his smile and slight dimple in his right cheek.

He smiled at her and shrugged. "Eh, I couldn't resist the temptation of saying 'hi' to my favorite red head in the world!"

"Jesus, who invited Julia Roberts?" Riley joked and Sal chuckled.

"Ah, c'mon Bryn, you know you look a lot like her...crazy curly red hair, infectious laugh, long legs..." He stated, looking down at her lengthy legs, putting her at 5'9.

"You're delusional Sal." Riley accused.

"Yeah, I know, I need to lay off the Mary Jane huh?"

Riley rolled her eyes. "C'mon Sal, who ya kiddin? You know as well as I do, you've never touched Joey's 'medicine'."

"Geez, Joey isn't here is he?"

"No."

"Good, I owe him $20." Sal recalled and Riley rolled her eyes. The two of them walked into the living room so they were standing next to Nick, looking at the guys who were awake and relaxing on the couches.

"Sal?" Kiersten asked from the top of the stairs and smiled when she saw it was him. "Sal!"

"Hey Kit! God girl you look fantastic!" He credited and spun the woman around.

"Thanks Babe...God how long has it been?"

"Almost two years."

"Ugh, that's too long."

"Totally. So how's your sexy Dr. Chris Jameson doin?"

"Uh Sal, the ass hole hit the road _months_ ago..."

Sal covered his mouth. "Oh Geez, Kit I'm sorry...I totally forgot! I'm sorry hon."

She waved the comment away and smiled. "Eh, to hell with the bastard. I'm better off with out him." She smiled and Riley threw her hands to Heaven.

"Amen to that! That ass hole wasn't worth your affection Chica Elise."

Kiersten blushed. "Okay, enough about me. How are you Sal?"

"Good, the business is good...so how are you and Dev doin?" Sal asked ignorantly, and the room became eerily silent. "Hey, where is he by the way?" Sal asked, looking around, not quite catching onto the looks on everyone's faces.

"Um, Sal...Deven and I split up about a year ago..."

_Damn...! Was it really _only_ a year ago...?_

Riley thought in astonishment, as Sal's face mirrored her amazement. "Oh God! Two for two on bringin up past boyfriends...I am so sorry Bryn..." He had known how close Deven and Riley were when they were friends, they were practically inseparable. They had stayed like that for close to five years, and only their closest friends were unsurprised when they had started dating, they had been close, but not boyfriend-girlfriend close. And the new 'Deven and Riley Status' had become infamous in the kid's home towns and anywhere else they had lived. The fact that anything had broken them apart came as a complete shock to Sal.

"Don't fret it Sal." Riley drawled, eager to change the topic that seemed to only come up whenever Nick happened to be around. "It's fine."

"Yeah, she's got herself a sexy cowboy." Porsche pointed out, gesturing to Nick.

Sal looked at Nick and pouted. "Damn...I was hoping he 'drove his car on the other side of the road'." Sal mumbled dejectedly and Riley's hand flew to her mouth to hold in her laughter. Nick tried to duck his head to hide the blush creeping to his cheeks and Riley grabbed his hand with her free one. "Sorry." He apologized.

"Eh, don't beat yourself up over it kid, I was praying the same thing when I first met him. But I was smart enough to keep my mouth shut." Thomas noted, flicking the ash off of his cigarette.

"Yeah, but you had forewarning when you saw him walk outta Riley's room." Kiersten noted.

"True...too bad. You're positive there's no chance you're gay?" Thomas asked hopefully, but before Nick could respond Shaun interceded.

"Nope...from what I hear he's _totally_ straight." Shaun replied and Riley looked at him oddly.

"I don't talk to you about Nick's sexual preferences."

"You didn't have to Babe, your room's right next to mine." Shaun replied waggling his eyebrows. "I must say you have a **dirty** mouth Ms. Turner."

Both Riley and Nick turned a deep shade of red as more people joined in on the banter. "Well duh Shaun, we already knew that. She's like president of the Sailor-Mouth fan club."

"Yeah! You think she's bad normally, you should hear her when she's behind closed doors." Tony stated and Kiersten looked at him confused.

"You don't live with her. How would you know?"

Tony smirked evilly. "Deven."

At the mention of his name and reference to his and Riley's past sex life Kiersten chucked her shoe at him, and he blocked it with a pillow. Riley's face twisted in anger and shock. "He told you about our sex life?" She demanded, her accent getting thick with anger.

Tony realized what he had said and his eyes widened. "_Oooooh_!" Everyone chorused like a bunch of second graders and Riley seethed.

"Did he!"

"Uh-I...I-I don't-...maybe once..."

Riley shook her head in anger and Nick stood there, not quite sure how to react to the multiple amounts of information being registered into his brain. He looked over at Riley and tried to stifle a laugh at how cute she looked, standing in her boxers and his T shirt, more flustered than he'd seen her in a while, and cuter than ever.

"His ass is mine!" She growled angrily. Nick took her hand and brought her a little closer to him. She seemed to calm a little and shook her head once again.

"...Geez, when Bryn gets done with him Deven's gonna _have _to turn gay." Sal commented and everyone laughed, glad that the tension from earlier had been resolved.

"Good news for you Sal." Tony joked and Sal glared and motioned for Kiersten to throw her second shoe at him.

"Eww, Sal's gettin Ry's sloppy seconds." Porsche stated as she pulled Emma closer to her and wrapped her arms around the slightly shorter girl from behind.

"Sal can just use Deven till Ry is done with Nick."

"Aw shoot, I thought I called dibs on him." Kiersten whined and Shaun laughed and shook his head.

"Nah, your mouth ain't dirty enough." Shaun stated. "Seriously, it's like the word 'fuck' is in every sentence. You should hear her!"

"I'd love to..." Jabari stated, waggling his eyebrows at the thought of it, and Jon, Kiersten, and Nick all leaned in to punch him in the shoulder or arm.

"Hey!" Jabari exclaimed. "Isn't that police brutality?" He asked Nick.

"Not when you're talkin about my girlfriend it ain't." He drawled and Riley blushed as everyone repeated the 'second grade chorus'.

"Aw, that's so sweet, he's beating up her friends..." Emma mock-swooned. Everyone laughed and Riley blushed.

"No, not all her friends, just the ones that make inappropriate comments about her." Nick corrected.

"Yeah, that's all her friends..." Porsche chuckled as she sipped her coffee.

"Can we please stop talking about me as if I'm not in the room...?" Riley asked and Nick bit his lip.

"Sorry Darlin." He kissed the tip of her nose and everyone chorused in 'Awwww'. Riley glared at them all and chucked a pillow at them all.

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Riley and Nick walked through the door, straining and grunting as they held Nick's giant couch. "W-where...is it...going!" She grunted.

Nick held it up, struggling to keep from looking weak in front of his girlfriend. "By the...uh...the uh window." He released a small grunt and they set the couch down where his other one had been. Nick released a breath and stood back up to see Riley fanning herself and breathing heavily. "I told you that you shouldn't be liftin this couch." Nick drawled and Riley sighed and plopped down on the couch, the wrapping around it sticking to her sweaty body.

"Is that the last of the furniture?"

"Yeah."

"Good, so now I can do this—Ow, ow, ow, ow!" She moaned and gripped her sides, burying her face in Nick's shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her lower back, trying to work out the knots he figured should have formed from all the lifting.

"Bryn Riley-Ann Turner I _told_ you you'd be in pain if you helped!"

"Hey now! Don't middle-name-me Nicholas Patrick Stokes!" She poked his chest and he sighed.

"I just don't wanna see you in pain."

"It only hurts a little..."

"Ry..."

"Okay, a little more than a little."

"Cookie lips-"

"Eww! Did you just call me _'Cookie lips'_!"

Nick paused and pursed his lips to keep from laughing. He knew she hated the tacky 'pet names' couples often gave each other, and she absolutely despised it when he called her anything like that...

She shook her head and Nick laughed. "Aww...I'm sorry, did I upset you Sugar Dumplin?"

She made a gagging noise and pretended to throw up over the arm of the couch. She looked back at him and shook her head in disapproval. "Please...never..._ever_ call me Sugar Dumplin, Cookie lips, and any other sick nick names you have up your sleeve."

Nick laughed. "How about 'Darlin'?"

"You know I don't mind 'Darlin or Sugar or Hon'..."

"How about 'Honey'?"

"Nah, I prefer 'Hon'...then of course you could always call me Riley."

"Well you can call me whatever you want." He said and kissed her nose again. She made a sickened face and poked him in the shoulder.

"Push over." She named him and he wrapped his arms around her again and leaned her back against the couch and kissed her passionately. When they broke apart for air he smiled the smile that made her weak at the knees, and she was suddenly very glad she was lying down and not standing (which was Nick's intention).

"Only with you."

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

_Alright...so, I warned y'all it's all fluff. I figured all fluff is better than no chapters. XD _

_REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT Y'ALL THINK!_

_('Specially you Emma...I have no idea when you'll be reading this but you better review! –said with love— )_

_-FMCSI60 (aka Chella Belle)_

_ps, do any of the other authors know why the 'ruler' bar isn't working?_


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N:** Okay...this is kinda pointless but, I just thought I'd let everyone know that there** may**_ _or **may not** be a** temporary** hiatus in **all **of my stories...I'm moving at the end of September, so around late September/ early-mid October I won't have any updates...this is only **temporary** and I'm unsure it will even happen. (I'm definitely moving I just don't know if it'll cause a problem on my stories...)_

–_FMCSI60_

_Okay, in regards to the book...ready for some CSI/Nicky angst? I was really fluffy in the last two chapters so I thought I'd angst it up! And yes, you'll hear a lot from the CSI characters in the next few chapters...we're goin into a case! Oh yeah! –jumps up and down excitedly at the thought of a CSI case—_

_...Yea I know...I'm a looser. _

_**Spoilers: **Okay...um...Grave Danger and Bodies in Motion...yup that's it. _

_**Rating: M** (incase anyone forgot). For mature themes, language, violence, and all the CSI stuff... –rolls eyes—I know, I sound so professional don't I? XD_

_**Disclaimer:** I own no one in the show... (See last chapter for list of people I own even though most of them probably won't be in these next few chapters) C'mon...do I really look like I'd own CSI or any songs in here...? Didn't think so. And just so everyone knows...we're starting out the chapter with my favorite word! XD (JK, JK)_

**Chapter 13**

_(Three weeks and two days later- May 17, 2006) _

"Fuck!" Nick exclaimed and threw the case file down on the table with a slam. Warrick was passing by when the outburst occurred, and poked his head in the room curiously.

"Tough case Nicky?" Warrick asked, coming completely into the room while sipping his coffee and flipping through his own case file.

"There is no evidence...there is _no_ evidence at all 'Rick...none." Nick said defeated and leaned forward on the table, his fists supporting him on the cold metal. He could feel the silver ring on his hand scraping against the table, and no doubt were transferring paint chips to one another. The sound of the metal on metal abrade sent a chill up Nick's spine and he leaned off the table and sat back down in his chair...he was now out of view of the ghastly photos of the lurid crime scene.

Warrick took one look at the photos and sighed. "The Pin-up Rapist...I forgot you were workin the case..."

"_Thank you_ Grissom." The Texan mumbled and Warrick sighed and sat down in the chair opposite his brother, sliding the photos towards himself. The Pin-up Rapist had come out of the woodwork about a month, and killed women sporadically...yet all of the rapes/killings were meticulously planned and atrocious...

"All girls, young, 19-25, tall for their age, similar builds, never blonde, always light colored eyes, living within a thirty mile radius of the lab...most of them lived with a few other people, worked nights or swing...pretty..."

Nick didn't respond...these were all things he knew.

"Every house was broken into but we never figured out how, the girls were raped, beaten, raped again, tortured, raped a third time, and finally...strangled."

"With bare hands...no distinct ligature marks, only bruises. Doc said the normality of him seeing bruises like these in strangulation was when it was done without a weapon..." Nick added.

"All the girls were drugged before the third rape with neurocardiogenic syncope, a drug that causes hypotension and bradycardia...what I don't get is why it's after the third rape and not the second or first..."

Nick ran his fingers through his shaggy brown hair and sighed agitatedly. "Because the sick bastard gets off on women fighting back..."

Warrick processed the information and turned to look at Nick, the Texan's case photos still in his hands. "Nick..." He looked at Warrick. "Remember that high profile serial rapist about five years back...? The Strip Strangler...uh...Sid Goggle?" Nick nodded, looking back at the case file but not really reading the words. He nodded and Warrick continued. "Girls beaten, raped multiple times, tortured, strangled, and then posed as pin-ups...maybe this guy-"

"Nah, I already checked on it. Goggle's still in jail, he had no family or friends. No enemies either...this guy's new and following Goggle's example."

"Maybe he read about it in the news...it was high profile."

"But that was almost five years ago...why now?" Nick asked and Warrick sighed. "And how the hell did he get into the girl's houses?" Nick grumbled, getting restless all over again.

"Well, he didn't get in the window like Goggle did...no forced entry...hey, you know, Goggle stalked these women and learned all about them...he knew their habits and routines and how much time he had to get in and out of there. If this new guy is following Goggle's example than maybe he did the same thing..."

"But that still doesn't explain the why or how."

Warrick stole a quick glance at Nick. He had an idea of how it probably happened...but he figured it wasn't wise to bring up his theory of the women being stalked in front of Nick. Catherine was working the case with Nick, Warrick would just relay his theory to her and then she could...

"Rick?"

"Huh?"

"I said what do you think? The wheels in your head were disrupting the peace in the lab..." Warrick couldn't get out of this, but he didn't want to tell Nick his theory...and he didn't really have to. "What if he got in through the attics...?" Nick asked softly, mirroring Warrick's thoughts. "Maybe...maybe he got in because they let him in...like...like Nigel." Nick suggested and Warrick sighed and nodded.

"M-Maybe..."

"It would make sense..."

"Did you check the attics?"

Nick shook his head. "Nah, there wasn't a reason...till now." They sat in awkward silence for a few moments before Nick finally stood and left. "Thanks Rick."

**--The bar thingy doesn't work...insert stupid bar thingy here...FYI, this is the next morning about 4 a.m.-- **

"Bryn Riley-Ann, get your lazy ass out of bed." Kiersten ordered and Riley growled and threw the blankets over her head.

"_Noooo_. Go away." She moaned sleepily.

"Riley, get up now."

"Why?"

"Because Nick's here and he needs you." Kiersten replied and Riley sat up quickly.

"What's wrong? Is he okay? Why didn't he come up here?" Riley fired off questions and the brunette waved them away.

"He uh...he couldn't make it up the stairs." Riley cocked an eyebrow and Kiersten sighed. "Just come look for yourself." She surpassed a chuckle and Riley crawled out of her bed and slid on a pair of jeans. She followed Kiersten down the stairs and her hand flew to her mouth to control her laughter when she saw what was going on in the living room.

"Oh my God!" She tried to control her laughter as she neared the men all in the living room, Nick being their center of attention. "What the Hell did y'all do to him?" She exclaimed as she neared her boyfriend in the frilly pink dress. "And whose dress is that!"

The guys only laughed and continued applying makeup to the extremely giddy and drunk Texan. "Relax Ry, its Porsche's makeup and Jon's mom's prom dress." Shaun joked. "She was the only girl we knew whose dress would fit Nick."

"Burn!" Tony exclaimed as Jon punched Shaun in the shoulder and then Tony. "Ow!"

Riley shook her head and sighed just as Nick turned to look at her and smile. "Hi Baby..." He drawled and Riley tried so hard not to laugh at the sight of her drunk-off-his-ass boyfriend in a frilly, lacey, poofy, pink prom dress, smeared makeup, and longer than normal long hair in clips. "Do I look pretty?" He asked and the men all hooted in laughter as Riley blushed.

"Um...sure..."

"Am I a pretty girl?" He asked and Riley almost doubled over laughing.

"Sweetie, I don't know...I don't swing that way."

"Oh...yeah..." He gave a goofy laugh. "I forgot." He looked over at Sal. "Sal, am I pretty?" He asked and Riley gripped her sides from laughing as she looked at Sal. Sal shot her a smirk saying, 'I told you he's gay' and then back to Nick.

"Sure." He answered and Nick smiled triumphantly.

"Okay." Riley said waving her hands. "Whose idea was this?" She had seemed to get a hold of herself and wanted to get to the bottom of this before the men whipped out their cameras.

The men all looked at each other, then back to her, devious grins adorning all of their faces. "Deven." They answered in unison and Riley drew in a deep breath and turned to look at Kiersten, Porsche, and Emma all standing on the side lines. They all pointed towards the front door as it opened. All attention was on Deven as he walked in the house, smiling mischievously, holding a few bags from a local pharmacy store, no doubt filled with more things for humiliating Nick.

He pulled out a can of spray on pink hair dye and laughed evilly until he looked up and saw Riley. "AH! Um...hey Ry." He said innocently. "What's goin on?"

"Ah, nothin, you know...just the usual day of my boyfriend drunk off his ass and dressed like a bad prom date from the sixties." She said simply and Deven cracked a smile. "Shoe!" Riley demanded and Kiersten tossed her her shoe as Deven dropped the bags and hauled ass. "Get your cowardly ass back here you son of a bitch!" Riley demanded as she chased him through the house.

"What's goin on?" Nick slurred, looking around confused.

Jabari laughed. "Your girlfriend's chasin her ex around the house, threatening to bludgeon him with a shoe."

"Oh no! That doesn't sound good..." Nick said shaking his head. "She doesn't know how to dispose of a body. I should help her..." He concluded and the guys all laughed as Nick tried to stand up, the stiletto stripper heels getting in his way. He stumbled as he tried to get up. "Hang on Cookie Lips! I'm comin!" He drawled, his voice cracking and all the men were rolling on the floor laughing while pulling out their cell phones and snapping pictures and recording it.

"Don't let him up! He'll break his ankle!" Emma scolded.

The men were too busy laughing to respond.

"Do y'all want Riley on your asses for making her boyfriend break his ankle?" Kiersten asked and all laughter ceased immediately. They looked between each other torn between seeing how funny this would be, or the greatly feared wrath of Riley. After all, Hell hath no fury like a pissed of Southern woman!

"Take off your shoes Nick!" CJ ordered and Nick took off the stilettos, and finally stood up, only to fall back over. He sat on the ground for a few moments before shrieking (in a very unmanly way, only making the situation funnier).

"I'm falling!" He yelled, several minutes after he had actually fallen over. The men laughed harder and Deven appeared back into view, running and scared as Hell that Riley would actually hurt him, which she would.

"Your ass is mine Guisens!" She threatened, using his last name for dramatic affect. She tackled him to the couch and started beating him with a pillow.

He shielded himself, not really minding the fact that she was madder than Rabbi in a deli, so much for the fact that she was practically straddling him and pinning him with her knees. He laughed and '_tried_' to wrestle her off him. He grabbed her ass in the process and she punched him in the shoulder as all the men, excluding Nick (who wasn't really that manly at the moment anyway) 'Oooooh'd like second graders. Deven laughed harder until she stood up and kicked him in the side.

"What the Hell is your problem?" She asked after having calming down quite a bit.

"What?" he asked innocently. "Are you worried your 'man' isn't that secure in his sexuality to handle wearing a dress?" Deven joked as everyone did the second-grade-chorus yet again and Riley narrowed her eyes.

"Good God man, don't anger it." Kiersten warned.

"Excuse me, but when's the last time any of y'all put on a dress and makeup and still managed to successfully maintain your sexuality?"

Troy laughed. "Actually, I think that's how I realized I was gay."

Everyone laughed, and even Riley cracked a smile. "Well, you never know Ry, if he is gay...good news for Sal." Pot Roast joked and Sal gave a thumbs-up.

Riley sighed and shook her head. "What is he even doing here?" Riley asked. "How'd he get here from the bar?"

"Jabari was getting off work when Thomas and Tony found him drunker than a skunk singing Lucky Too by Bob Neuwirth for Karaoke Night at the bar." Shaun began to exclaim.

"We didn't know where he lived, so we brought him here..." Thomas explained.

"And then we played dress up..." Deven finished and Riley shot him a glare.

"I can see that." She snapped.

"Aw, Sugar Dumplin, don't worry, I've worn dresses and make up before..." Nick explained and all the men howled in laughter as Riley rubbed her head in a stressed notion. This was a diverse situation...she was use to turning gay men straight...not straight men gay.

"Yay!" Sal exclaimed and Riley rolled her eyes.

"He has five sisters Sal, and he's the youngest in the family...you do the math. I doubt whatever scenario you had playing out in your head is very far from the truth." Riley exclaimed and Sal sighed dejectedly. "Alright...I need someone to help me get him upstairs."

"I got it Ry." Jon stood up and the 6'2 250 pound boxer walked over to Nick and threw him over his shoulder.

"Ahh! I'm falling!" Nick exclaimed and the men laughed again as the giant carried him up the stairs, Riley tagging along behind.

**--The stupid bar thingy s_till_ doesn't work so use your fantastical imaginations and insert the bar thingy here--**

Riley laid Nick in her bed and sighed at the sight of the already half asleep man. He had sobered up quite a bit after the shower he had to have in order to wash the makeup off and hairspray out of his hair. It had been tempting not to try something with him in shower (especially since he had mastered the art of standing), and with the water trickling down his chiseled body, and his constant attempts on her. And whenever she would give him a look and push his hands away with a smile on her face, he would give her a playful pout, making her want to take him right then and there in her shower.

But she knew they still had to talk, a task apparently that would wait until he woke up. She smiled and crawled into the bed with him, cuddling up against him and holding him in her arms. Getting to sleep would be a difficult task considering her current state of supreme '_frustration_' and her hotter-than-hell boyfriend laying next to her in bed, naked as the day he was born, but she finally got there.

She woke up a few hours later and sighed when she got a look at the clock, noon. Her internal alarm clock had been thrown off drastically when the car accident a month and a half earlier had prevented her from working. She had only been back at work for a few weeks, and was just starting to get back into the swing of living as a vampire.

Nick's moan and cry of complain from in his dream snapped Riley out of her thoughts, and she looked over at his sleeping form in concern. He tossed and turned slightly as his brow knitted in displeasure. "Mmm...no...stop...please...put the gun down..." He begged from his sleep and Riley's eyebrows rose and she sat up and looked down at him in concern.

"Nicky...?"

"Stop it...leave me alone...!" he pleaded and began scratching at his arms and gripping his head in plea. She backed up for a moment, but then leaned back towards him.

"Nick...baby wake up." This was by far the worst hangover-nightmare she had ever seen...and she had seen some pretty bad ones.

"God! Leave me alone...go away! Get me out of here..."

"Nick wake up." She demanded more firmly and shook his shoulder to jolt him from the horrific entrance that seemed so real to him.

"Get off me...no...this isn't happening...get me out of here!"

"Nick...Nick, you're having a nightmare, wake up." She ordered more loudly. "Nick..."

"Get your hands off of me...this isn't right...put the gun down..."

"Nick!"

"Put the gun down Riley..." He mumbled in his sleep and Riley felt the oxygen being sucked from her lungs as the lurid, impossible words filtered into her ears and Nick's no longer sleeping form bolted up right and straight out of the bed. He ran straight into her bathroom and knelt down by the toilet and emptied the contents of his stomach into the porcelain bowl. She stood behind him and rubbed his back as he continued to purge his stomach. After a few minutes of staying in the position he sighed and fell back against the side of the tub and Riley offered him a cool wet wash cloth. Nick gratefully accepted it and sighed as he ran his hand through his sweaty hair.

Riley wrapped her arms around her waist protectively and sat against the wall opposite him. Her naked form huddled away from him, and Nick was instantly worried he had done something to her or scared her. "Are you okay?" He croaked and she looked at him in shock.

"Am _I _okay...you're the one who just threw up anything he's eaten in the past 48 hours into the toilet. The question isn't if _I'm _okay...it's if _you _are."

Nick looked away and she made a move to come closer to him and brush a stray piece of hair from his face, but he moved away from her touch. She backed away and sat back, farther than she had been a minute ago, but not against the wall. Nick looked into her baby blue eyes and immediately felt bad for his motions. He moved closer to her and she brushed the stray piece of hair she had her eye on away.

"So um...are you okay?"

Nick looked at her for a moment before nodding. "Yeah...ya know, just...one of those warped hangover nightmares." It was only a half lie, the dream was warped, he was hung over...and that was the worst nightmare he'd had since the actual incident...all of them.

She looked at him for a moment and she sighed sympathetically almost making Nick wince. Pity was the last thing he wanted from her. "Want to talk about it?"

"No."

She paused before looking away. "It'll help."

"I'm fine."

"Nick...don't do this..."

"What?" he asked confused and she moved closer to him and leaned up against the tub, so that she was facing him and her side was supporting herself against the tub.

"Trying to act like nothing's wrong...you do it a lot."

"No-"

"Yes you do." She quickly cut him off. "It's just me...you don't have to be Superman...it's okay to be vulnerable."

"I'm fine."

"Stop Nick." She demanded softly. "Don't lie to me...yeah, that may have been an alcohol provoked nightmare...but you've had that before...this was the first time its been this bad."

"There was a tough case at work...that's it."

"Want to talk about that?"

"No...it's against the law."

"Bull."

"It is."

"Does that stop you from talking about it to anyone else?"

"The only other people I talk to are my friends who work at CSI." Nick justified. "Besides...we had an agreement that we'd keep our work out of 'this'." he gestured between them and she sighed.

"Yeah well, I think doing that may be putting a damper on 'this' so I'm breaking the rules..."

"_No_." Nick said more harshly than he had intended, it had come out as a growl and she recoiled from him. Nick closed his eyes and sighed.

"...Even Superman had Lois..." She said softly and he sighed again. They sat like that for what seemed like hours, when in reality had only been five minutes.

"Riley..." He asked softly

"Yeah?" She answered just as hushed as he had.

Nick opened his mouth to speak, but closed it when he realized he couldn't form the words he needed to. I mean seriously, how do you tell the woman that you love (who doesn't even know that you love her) that one year ago tomorrow you were buried alive in a box and almost committed suicide...?

"...Do you know what its like to die?"

Riley stared at him in shock and confusion. _Oh God...am I supposed to answer?_

"...I...I did...I do."

"Nick...what are you talking about?"

"I um..." _Okay...here goes..._ "I..." _Just say it Stokes..._ "I went to this...this 'crime scene' and uh...I was k-kidnapped by someone with a grudge against CSI." That was really already more than he wanted to say, but he knew he couldn't just stop there...he couldn't just not tell her. "He buried me alive in a plexi glass coffin and stuck a camera in it that I couldn't see, and then hooked it up to LVPD so my friends could...could w-watch me." _Yeah...smooth Stokes..._ "I uh...eventually I just...I couldn't take it...my oxygen was running out and...I had used up all the glow sticks that were in the box with me, and th-th-these ants were eating me alive...and...I never really handled the dark very well...a quirk from my child hood." _If you can call being molested by your babysitter in your dark room when you were nine a quirk..._ "I-I uh...I had a gun...I was close..." Tears poured down his cheeks as he spoke of the traumatic event that haunted him for almost a year now. "I was so close to taking the gun and ending it then and there..." He chuckled humorlessly. "I wanted it all to end...I was just so damn sick and tired of it...of everything...of life. If Warrick hadn't gotten to me in time...I would've..."

He let his thought trail off and stared at the pale blue wall in front of him.

"You wanna know how I kept myself semi-sane...? I sang Lucky Too by Bob Neuwrith...I was listenin to it in my car on the way over to the scene..."

Riley immediately thought back to when they had told her that Nick had sang that for Karaoke Night at the bar when he was drunk.

"I uh...I remember a few months ago, I was workin a scene and this...this bug crawled up my arm...I had a mini panic attack...I can't even stand bugs anymore..." He wiped his face with his hand and sighed. "Remember when we broke up a few months ago?" He didn't wait for an answer...he kind of forgot she was even in the room...she hadn't said a word since he started. "When we were apart, the little sleep that I did get...I had these kinds of nightmares...they were so bad that I just stopped sleeping. When we got back together the nightmares stopped but...but they came back all of a sudden."

"Wh-..." She spoke for the first time and Nick closed his eyes, not sure if he could handle looking at her. "When did it happen?" She whispered.

He paused a minute. "One year ago tomorrow."

She nodded slowly and looked at the open bathroom door. She extended her long leg and closed the door with her foot absently. Truthfully she didn't know what to say, she had never been one with words that was Kiersten or Porsche's department. She looked back over at him and brushed her fingers lightly over the scar on his chest. "Is that were this came from?" She asked and Nick nodded.

"The bottom of the box was laying on Semtex...pressure sensor Semtex. The had to equalize my weight with dirt in order to get me out or I'd blow everyone up. The coffin eventually ended up exploding anyway...and a piece of it cut my chest..." He didn't look at her as he spoke and she simply looked to the ground. She suddenly felt very cold, and it only occurred to her now that they were both naked and she was sitting under the vent. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." He apologized and she looked at him stunned.

"What?" she asked in disbelief. "Nick...you...it's fine. I understand why you didn't...cause you couldn't. It was only a year ago."

"I was worried that uh..." He couldn't quite bring himself to say it.

"That what...that I'd take off...? Why?"

"Cause that...that's really fucked up...I'm really fucked up."

She scoffed. "Who isn't?"

"Riley..."

She shook her head. "What Nick? You want me to think I should be totally freaked out and think that you're too fucked up to be with and that I should get the hell outta dodge?"

Nick looked away. "No..." He whispered. "But...I don't know..." He sighed and leaned his head against the wall that was by his shoulder. Truth be told he was glad she wasn't asking how he felt and telling him how sorry she felt for him. Everyone he told this to, his family, friends, psychologists...they all gave him the 'pity speech'...he wouldn't have been able to handle that from her..."I hate that I'm still not over it..."

"Nick, it's only been a year. No one can expect you to be over it by now. I'm not gonna tell you how traumatic it was and that it changed your life, because you know that. No one knows that better than you. But I am gonna remind you that a lot of the things that happened to or around you happened because of that...good or bad."

Nick nodded thinking back on how Warrick had married Tina, Sara and Grissom had gotten together, Ecklie seemed to even be a minuscule less hostile. "You...you happened. If I hadn't been kidnapped then...then I probably wouldn't have been so reluctant to go to the club/bar that night...and I would've snatched up the first girl I saw before I even went to the bar. I wouldn't have met you...and then where would I be."

She was quiet for a few moments. "Yeah, everyone knows I'm the best thing that ever happened to you." She joked lightly and nudged him. For the first time since the night before, he cracked a small smile and reached out for her hand. "Yeah...you are."

** --The stupid bar thingy_ still_ doesn't work...I hope they get it fixed...insert stupid bar thingy here--**

_Okay...so...how did I handle the whole Grave Danger situation? I kinda wanted to make it so that she wasn't all 'Oh Nicky! I'm so sorry that happened to you!'...sorry but uh, I didn't think Nick (at least in my book) would react well to that..._

_So...it would probably be a good idea to review. Cause if you don't agree with something in here, or you love it, or you think I'm totally insane...I'd love it if you would review. _

_**Constructive Criticism Wanted! **_

_tee hee...okay..._

**--Insert review here...man if only they made a bar for that...but they do make a button...XD--**

_-Chella Belle _


	14. Chapter 14

_I don't own Dane Cook, any of his work, nor do I have any affiliation with the 'wonderfuls' that do. I don't own Nick, Greg, Sara, Brass, Grissom, the LVPD, Catherine **or** her leash...(y'all have to read the chapter to understand that one). I own everything else though. _

**--Well...all that's left to do is...READ THE STORY PLEASE! XD XD...which I'm sure y'all will...XP--**

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**Chapter 14** (wow...chapter 14 already?)

_(Later that day)_

Riley stepped out of Nick's shower and wrapped the fluffy midnight blue towel around her wet body. She stepped up to the mirror and wiped away the steam to get a look at her appearance...at least she looked cleaner. A soft knock at the door sounded, and the door became slightly ajar. She laughed and shook her head. "You can come in..."

"Are you decent?"

She laughed. "C'mon Nick, you've seen me naked before."

He walked in and shrugged. "I'm headin off to work." He informed her and she nodded. "Good luck at work."

She laughed. "It's a bar Nick, pourin drinks ain't that hard."

"I meant the hospital. Today's your first day...or did you forget?"

She smiled triumphantly and looked at him through his reflection in the mirror. "You remembered."

"Of course I did. I'm sorry that I can't take you in today, Griss called us all in early, but I already called a cab company and its scheduled to pick you up at seven...so get your beautiful ass movin." He swatted her butt and she laughed as she spun around and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank you baby. My car should be out of the shop in a few weeks...we got it insured this time so we're lucky."

Nick internally frowned at the mention of 'we'...she was talking about her and Deven. "I think it's time for a new car baby...the General Lee doesn't seem to be so lucky for you...two car accidents..." He shook his head and she gave him a look. Nick raised his hands in surrender and shook his head. "And it's not just because Deven got you the car...although I think that's some pretty fantastical symbolism."

She brightened up and ignored the wickedly awesome burn on her ex. "You used a Dane Cook word!"

Nick smiled and shrugged. "My friend Greg had one of his CDs...I listened to it a couple days ago..." He laughed and she shook her head.

"He's funny isn't he?"

"Yep...'That Dane Cook is a silly bitch'." Nick quoted and she laughed. "I gotta say, my favorite one was when he did 'The Car Alarm Song'."

She laughed at the thought of the crazy insane song that Dane Cook had come up with. "The funny thing is, after Kiersten and I heard it a car alarm went off in the parking lot...all we could do was sing the song. We still sing it randomly through out the day."

Nick shook his head. "You would...y'all are insane!" He replied and she laughed again. "Alright Baby, I gotta head into work. I'll see you later." He pecked her cheek and she smiled at the chaste notion and shook her head.

A few minutes later she heard the front door and she walked out of the bathroom, and into the kitchen. She went to the counter to pop a bagel into the toaster (the only thing she'd eat after she woke up) and looked around his recently painted kitchen absently. She smiled when she looked down at where she as standing and realized that, mid-paint, they had gotten caught up and had sex right there on the kitchen floor a few weeks ago. She laughed softly and looked back up when her bagel popped out of the toaster, only to see the light of the coffee pot was still on, and all the coffee was gone.

She shook her head. _That man always forgets to turn off the coffee. _With that thought on her mind, the front door opened to a very frantic Nick running into the house. He jogged over and turned off that coffee pot, a smirk on his lips. He shrugged and kissed her quickly before he ran back to the door. "I'm late!" He stated as he ran and she laughed.

"You could have called me to ask me to do it!" She said laughing as he held up the phone he picked up from the couch.

"I forgot my phone!" He called over his shoulder. "See ya later Ry." With that he closed the door and she laughed as she began to apply the cream cheese to her bagel.

**--Yup...y'all guessed it, the 'tard' of a bar thingy doesn't work...BTW, y'all should _really _listen to Dane Cook...XD--**

Nick sighed in frustration, lethargy, and all around anger. The Pin-up rapist had struck again...a younger girl...just turned nineteen...she was just a kid. That shouldn't have happened to her...it shouldn't have happened to any of those women. Brass had taken it upon himself to put_ all_ the women on Swing and Nights in the lab that fit the profile of the victims under heavy supervision. That annoyed most of them, but the department wasn't taking any chances.

The media had leaked word about the serial rapist, and spilled any information they could get about him to the media. Hell, one reporter had her photographer sneak into the scene and get pictures of the CSIs working with their evidence. The photographer was caught and Brass was dealing with him now, but not before the pictures worth a million big ones each were plastered all over the news.

All that the CSIs were waiting for now was a change in MO that hadn't yet come, and Grissom decided it would be best for them to wait at their homes. Nick sighed and walked by Grissom's office, casually looking inside to see Grissom and Sara arguing lightly about something.

_Probably making her stay with him until they catch the rapist...good. _

Nick shivered at the memory of when Sara had been used as live bait for Sid Goggle...all of them, especially Grissom, were worried they were going to loose her to some psycho rapist. He walked on past the simple lovers quarrel and into the break room and saw Greg. "Hey Greggo...what's good?"

Greg looked up to the Texan and gave a half smile. "Not much..."

"What's gotcha down?" Nick asked, already knowing the answer...the same thing that had everyone else in the greater Las Vegas area down...

"This...this sick bastard. How can he do that to women? And how are we supposed to deal with it...? How do you guys all just...just take it?"

Nick sighed and sat down next to the younger man on the couch, mocking his position of his elbows resting on his knees, hands folded loosely in his lap, and shoulders slumped forward in a hunched position. "You just do Greg." He said after several minutes. "...You just do."

Greg sighed and hung his head. "I don't know if I can."

Nick shook his head. "Yeah...you can. You're strong Greg...you're gonna give up and go back to the DNA lab just because one sicko?"

"But Nick, it's not just one sicko...it's _a million_ of 'em."

"So you wanna run back to the lab and _hide_? You'd still have to deal with it Greg. The DNA lab ain't gonna save ya. You can do this Greg, I _know _you can. Think about all those people out there that you have to keep safe...because at the end of the day, _that's_ what it's really all about...keeping people safe."

Just then, Nick's cell rang and they both looked at it to see the display, **R.T.** "There's one of 'em now." Greg replied, a small smile on his face. "The infamous mystery girl...when am I gonna meet her by the way?"

Nick chuckled. "You already have Greggo."

"I know...I was talking about the team meeting her." Greg lied.

Nick laughed. "Um, that would be a 'never'. I'm not bringin my girlfriend around so you can ogle her...her friends do that enough." He laughed at the pouty expression on Greg's face and answered his phone. "Hey you."

"Hey yourself. Whacha doin?"

"Nothin, just talkin to Greg."

"Tell him I say hi."

"No, he'll think you like him, then you'll never get away from him." Nick said and Greg shot him a dirty look as Riley and Nick both laughed.

"I just got of shift, you wanna go out for breakfast?"

"You're off shift already?"

"I'm still a trainee, I work part time."

Nick nodded. "Sure. The usual place?"

"Yep."

"Alright, see ya in a few. Bye Darlin."

"Awww!" Greg replied in a falsetto voice, and Nick threw a pillow at him. "Y'all are so cute!" He exclaimed in a horrible Southern Belle impression.

Riley laughed. "You'll see me sooner than you think...bye Baby."

They hung up and Nick laughed at Greg. "That's exactly why you'll never meet her." Nick pointed a finger at him while laughing, referring to the 'Southern Belle' impersonation.

"Not even if I'm kept on Catherine's leash...?"

"Hmm...you meeting my girlfriend while Catherine has you on a leash...? I think that might make the situation worse." Nick joked as he walked into the lobby and stopped dead in his tracks.

Riley stood at the front doors, a sly smile on her face. "Told ya it'd be sooner than you think." She said softly so as not to attract attention to them. "Now let's get outta here before Greg shows up."

Nick smiled and grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the lab and quickly scurried out the door. Once they were out of view he kissed her passionately. "This was a nice surprise...and may I say you look sexy as hell as a naughty nurse."

She laughed. "Actually I'm a **nice **nurse..."

"Aw, ya see...I think you can be naughty _and _nice..." He wrapped his arms around her and pushed her up against his car and kissed her passionately. She giggled and Nick pulled away. "But I think this kind of talk would be better somewhere else." He waggled his eyebrows.

"Yeah...like the dinner." She said with a smirk on her face. Nick pouted and she laughed. "Sorry. But I'm hungry! And you are too...admit it."

"Am not." He lied, but his stomach betrayed him and growled loudly. She gave him an 'I told you so' look and he shook his head. "I'm hungry for a _different _kind of meal Sugar." He growled in a lusty voice, a devious grin on his beautiful face. She gaped at him and swatted his arm playfully.

"Nicholas Garret Stokes! What would your mama say if she heard you talkin like that?" Riley exclaimed and Nick laughed and helped her into the car. He smiled and closed the door for her and jogged around to his side of the car. "Anyway, _I'm_ actually hungry...in the _actual _way of wanting _food_."

Nick chuckled as they pulled out of the parking lot. "Fine, we eat...then I eat..."

"_Nick_..." She moaned in half exasperation, causing Nick to chuckle deviously. Truthfully she was fine with his joking, anything to keep his mind away from the dark anniversary that had threatened to cloud his day.

**--Sigh...as guessed, the bar thingy doesn't work...hmm...maybe they should fix that...(hint hint to The Powers That Be)--**

Riley laughed at the dirty joke Nick had just told her as they walked into his house. "Nick Stokes...you have a very dirty mind." She scolded and Nick chuckled yet again.

"Well you can only expect that kind of joke when you ate as much as you did today...I mean damn girl! Where do you put it all?" Nick asked and she slapped her butt in response. Nick chuckled and walked over, wrapping his arms around her as he whispered. "So...now that you've eaten..."

She gave him an apologetic look, "I'm actually kinda tired..." She admitted. Nick looked at her in shock and she bit her lip. "I'm sorry..."

He pouted and whined as he buried his head in her shoulder. "Man...I thought watching you eat whipped cream off your pancakes after your car accident a few weeks ago was bad knowing that I couldn't have you...but this..." He whined again and she laughed.

"I'm sorry Baby..." She fanned herself with her hand and knitted her brow. "Why is it so hot in here?"

Nick chuckled. "Sorry, that'd be my fault. It's my innate hotness heating up the room again...I don't know why I even bother with a heating system." He shrugged as if he couldn't help it (which he can't XD) and kissed her softly. The kiss grew more passionate as Nick wrapped his arms around her waist and pushed her up against the front door. "_Riley_..." He mumbled and began kissing her neck. He moaned softly into her shoulder as he tugged at the navy blue scrubs uniform she was wearing. His hands dropped to the generous curve of her ass and he gripped it tightly.

Nick's passionate kisses began making her weak at the knees, and sensing this, Nick picked her up so she could wrap her long legs around his waist. She buried her fingers in his shaggy hair as he continued to devour her chest, shoulders, and neck, all the while slowly grinding his pelvis into hers. She leaned her head back against the door and let a throaty moan escape her throat. His ministrations on her body were having a zealous effect on her, and soon her hands began to tremor.

Nick pushed her into the door harder and she grunted in pleasure. She could feel his erection growing, her heart beating faster and harder, so much that it almost hurt, and all of her blood rushing to her lust filled core. She began taking deeper breaths, trying to steady her breathing (something she could normally do)...but she couldn't now. Something wasn't right...not with Nick... but with herself...something felt off. Nick seemed to notice something was wrong with her, and he pulled away from her and allowed subtle distance between their bodies, in result, not pressing her quite so hard into the door.

"Riley...Hon what's wrong?" He asked, the concern in his tone kicking his accent into full swing. She didn't respond, only squeezed her eyes shut tighter and tried to slow her heart and dispel her labored breathing. "Riley?" Nick asked more concerned as a sheen of sweat appeared on her upper lip and across her forehead. He pulled away from the door completely She doubled over in pain and gripped her abdomen tightly. Nick swung her around and placed one arm under her back, and the other under her popliteal (the back of her knees). He opened the door and hurried out, kicking it closed with his foot, and quickly strapped her into his Denali.

He climbed in the driver's side and sped off towards the hospital, holding her hand the entire time.

**--Ahhh! Drama drama drama drama! Man...these two are just as theatrical as can be huh? XD--**

_Okay...I know, I'm very evil to end the chapter here...but hey, everyone calls me evil and I'm okay with that XD –evil laugh—_

_On and on and on we go...what's wrong with Riley...no body knows...(except the doctors you'll meet in the next chapter...—rubs hands together evilly—Oh man it's gonna be good!) PS, sorry that chapter (and the last chapter) were so long...I got carried away :D _

_Okay, review or I'll really show my evil side and end the book right here...(which means Riley will die...) REVIEW PLEASE!_

_-Chella Belle _

_As for you Kiersten...—smirk—I put 'The Car Alarm Song' and 'fantastical' in there for you... XD You too Emma! Just a little ray of sunshine in our current dark situation... :(... (BTW, sorry for confusing the hell outta everyone else who has **no clue** what I'm talkin about...) _


	15. Chapter 15

_Alright, high rated M on this one...lots of cussin and mature themes..._

_**Spoilers:** Grave Danger (as always) and DLG (ps, the timeline of when DLG actually happened will be off...) _

_I still own nothing_ besides_ Kiersten, Riley, Emma, Dr. Martin, all of Riley's friends, Club Spike, and anything else that doesn't belong to Bruickhiemer and Zuiker. But if they wanna lend me Nick I'd be totally okay with that... ;) _

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**Chapter 15** (wow...my little baby book is almost all growded up...—sniffle—I'm so proud! XD)

_(May 19, 2006) _

Nick sat hunched forward in the hospital chairs, his hands dug deep into his hair and his palms pressed hard into his head, just above his eyes. He heard a small commotion down the hall, but didn't care enough to look up and acknowledge whosever presence it was. The body sat down next to him, and Nick caught a glimpse of a pair of turquoise strappy sandal Manolo Blahniks with a large turquoise pendant of the pedal of the foot. he recognized them immediately as Riley's. She had bought them a few weeks ago and lent them to Kiersten for her date.

Sure enough, when Nick finally looked up he saw the face of a very glamorous Kiersten Philips. He nodded once in acknowledgement and then resumed his earlier position. "Shouldn't you be on a date?" He asked softly, not knowing what else to say.

"Riley's my sister..." She explained. "She comes first." The two Texans sat in silence a few moments longer before Kiersten spoke. "What happened?"

Nick shrugged. "Don't know...doctors haven't come back out yet."

Kiersten sighed wearily...

_That's not a good sign...and whatever happened, must have occurred because of or around Nick...that man lays on his guilt worse than a Texan Mama..._

"Where is everyone else?"

"Home...they don't know..."

Nick sighed and nodded softly. He was grateful she hadn't told them, he wasn't sure a beating from Jon would do him much good right now...though it might make the guilt go away...

"I planned on calling them when we got word on what was happening."

Nick threw his hands down to hang between his knees and shook his head in disbelief. "Why does this shit keep happening to her? And why is it always around me? Am I like a jinx to her or somethin?" he asked Kiersten, finally turning to face her.

Kiersten shook her head. "Riley's never really been lucky...family curse or somethin..." Kiersten rolled her eyes. "This isn't your fault...if anything you're the complete opposite of a jinx to her."

Nick scoffed in disbelief. "She was in a car accident only a month and a half ago...because of me."

"Funny, I didn't know you controlled the weather."

"She was driving away from me...we got in this huge fight and she drove off cryin...she wasn't payin attention because she was distracted by me...she wouldn't have been in that car accident if it wasn't for me...and now this..." He threw his hands up in surrender. He sighed and stood up angrily.

"Where are you goin?" Kiersten asked confused.

"I need to walk..." He mumbled and took off down the hall.

_Well shit...he's really beatin himself up over this..._

She sighed and rested her head in her hand and contemplated even calling the guys at all.

**--Now let's catch up with the remorseful guilt filled Texan that we all know and love...yep Nick!-- **

Nick leaned against the stone wall of the hospital building and brought the cigarette to his lips. He inhaled deeply and held the smoke in his body for a long time before releasing it. He had been standing there for an hour, and had gone through almost all of Riley's cigarettes that she had left in his car. She was gonna kill him when she found out that he had smoked all of her cigarettes...Nick stiffened at that thought.

Saying the words 'kill' and 'Riley' in the same sentence wasn't exactly comforting. Nick sighed heavily, releasing the last of the smoke from his body and tossed the cigarette bud into the ash tray outside the hospital doors. He stood against the wall for a few more minutes with his eyes closed, praying that maybe when he opened them he'd be lying in bed, with Riley cuddled up next to him...and this would have all been a horrible nightmare.

When Nick finally opened his eyes he almost jumped out of his skin when he saw who was standing in front of him. "Jesus Emma! What're you doin here? Where's Porsche?"

Since they had met in the kitchen a month ago Emma, Riley, and Kiersten had bonded, therefore, Nick became close with the younger woman too. In many ways, she reminded him of the feminine version of Greg. Emma wrapped her arms around herself and shrugged. "I heard about Ry...Porsch is still at home...she's stoned out and I figured it'd be best not to bring her." Emma replied exasperatedly and rubbing her forehead.

"Relationship problems?"

Emma waved that away. "Nah...nothin big. Don't worry about it."

"No please. I could use a distraction..." He gestured to the hospital and Emma sighed. They walked into the hospital and began the journey to Riley's room as they continued their conversation.

"I think she's cheating on me..."

"Why?"

"Because she's cheating on me." Emma stated and Nick rose his brow. "I caught her with Brittany about a week ago...it's been downhill ever since then."

Nick sighed and nodded. He only knew about Brittany from what Kiersten, Porsche, and Riley had said about her. He had yet to meet the woman, but from what he knew, she was young, shy, and totally 'in love' with Porsche. She was easily hurt and let Porsche treat her like shit (and Porsche knew it). Porsche is the kind of person who, no matter what she does, is nearly impossible to be angry at (unless of course you're Porsche's mother). Nick sighed again. "Did you just over hear something or see her flirting...or did-"

"I walked in on them..." Emma replied solemnly as they stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for Riley's floor.

"Is there any way they were just sleeping...?" Emma shot him a look and Nick nodded. "I'm sorry."

Emma shrugged and laughed humorlessly. "Hey, it ain't your fault..." The elevator doors opened and they walked down the hall. "How is she?" Emma asked as they reached Kiersten. Kiersten sighed and shook her head.

"Still no word." She looked over at Nick. "Where've you been? I thought someone kidnapped you." Kiersten joked lightly, not realizing the weight of her words, and Nick winced and lowered his eyes to the floor. Through all the commotion he had forgotten today's sinister anniversary. Kiersten and Emma exchanged confused looks. Apparently Riley hadn't said anything to them about her and Nick's heart-to-heart...which was unusual, because she told Kiersten everything.

Before either Kiersten or Emma could ask anything, Riley's door opened and a young handsome doctor appeared. His deep green eyes sparkled sympathetically as he neared the group, recognizing Kiersten immediately from her many demanding questions of 'What the fuck is going on in there?' and 'why the hell won't anyone tell us anything?'. He remembered Nick from the many cases he had worked involving the hospital, and the fact that Nick was in the hospital as much as Riley was (which was pretty damn often considering she was prone to injuries and was now working there).

Dr. Martin nodded to the group and extended his hand to Nick. "Mr. Stokes, good to see you again, I'm sorry they were under these circumstances though..."

"When are they ever under good circumstances?" Nick asked and Dr. Martin nodded.

"How is she?" Kiersten asked, interrupting the conversation between the attractive men.

Dr. Martin looked over to her and replied, "She's doing better. Lucky you brought her in when you did or she might not have made it."

"What happened?" Emma asked.

"Ms. Turner suffered from Thyrotoxicosis, other wise known as hyperthyroidism." Nick dropped his jaw. He had seen a few many cases of that...he knew the symptoms, Hell that was part of his job...how did he not catch this? At the confused looks on Emma and Kiersten's faces Dr. Martin continued. "Hyperthyroidism is an imbalance of metabolism caused by overproduction of thyroid hormone. She was experiencing tachycardia, the excessive rapidity in the action of the heart, and dyspnea which is shortness of breath and difficult or labored breathing. I'm guessing this is what alerted you Mr. Stokes?" Dr. Martin assumed and Nick nodded. "Luckily this was a minor case of hyperthyroidism and was able to be treated antithyroid medications, such as radioactive iodine which destroys the thyroid and thus stops the excess production of hormones."

"Don't you usually have to have surgery to remove the thyroid?" Emma asked and the doctor shook his head.

"Only if the case is severe enough. As I said, Ms. Turner's case was a minor one, afflicted over an acute amount of time. We gave her propranolol which is a beta blocker used to treat some of the symptoms of Thyrotoxicosis including rapid heart rate, sweating, and anxiety until the hyperthyroidism can be controlled...all of which Ms. Turner had."

"Any idea what caused this?" Kiersten asked.

"Well, typical hyperthyroidism is induced from over production of iodine in the thyroid which is located in the neck, also, Grave's Disease is another cause of it. However, we gave her a Thyrotropin; thyroid stimulating hormone, test that measures the amount of the hormone THS in the blood. The standard procedure for this type of case is simply drawing blood from a vein, usually from the inside of the elbow or the back of the hand. The puncture site is cleaned with antiseptic, and a tourniquet is placed around the upper arm to apply pressure and restrict blood flow through the vein. This causes veins below the tourniquet to fill with blood as a needle is inserted into the vein, and the blood is collected in an air-tight vial or a syringe. The tourniquet is then removed to restore circulation and after blood has been collected the needle is removed, and the puncture site is covered to stop any bleeding."

"She um...she had a slight fear of needles...did it hurt her or did she say anything?" Emma asked.

The doctor smiled and shook his head. "Nope, she was very still during the whole procedure. Normally the patient doesn't very much pain, others feel a slightly stinging sensation, and then throbbing afterwards. She hasn't complained of anything yet."

"Riley wouldn't." Kiersten noted and the doctor smiled at her.

"She's not experiencing any of the usual complications, and she is now conscious but drowsy. She seems to be doing okay, but I'd like to monitor her for a few more days."

"Do you have any idea what caused this? The increased amount of Iodine? Isn't too much iodine fatal?" Kiersten asked.

The doctor gave a soft smile to her. "Too much of anything is fatal Ms...?"

"Philips." Kiersten answered shortly. _Damn...if this guy is flirting with me...I'm gonna kick his ass...which would be so much easier if he wasn't so damn sexy!_

"Well, Ms. Philips, It is required as a trace element for most living organisms. Chemically, iodine is the least reactive of the halogens, and the most electropositive halogen after astatine. Iodine is primarily used in medicine, photography and in dyes. Elemental iodine, I**2**, is deadly poison if taken in larger amounts; a dose of 2-3 grams is enough to kill. But in Ms. Turner's case I'd say she ingested only a quarter gram..."

"How would Iodine have gotten into her system?" Emma asked.

"Well it could have been administered orally. Although that would be hard considering its distinctive visual properties and a very irritating scent. I'm not quite sure how she could have ingested it without noticing it...where does she work?"

"Part time here as a nurse and part time at Club Spike...why?"

"Well, she could have encountered it if she worked with a nuclear establishment or lived near one she would have been given a small dose of iodine in precaution to reverse any affect radioactive iodine would have on her...there are a few nuclear establishments in Vegas that I know of. You said she worked as a nurse part time here right?" The doctor asked and Emma nodded.

"Well, I do remember talk of a radioactive iodine exposure in the break room today...does she work nights?" Kiersten nodded. "Well, if it was her patient then she could have been careless and accidentally been exposed to it."

"That doesn't sound like Riley." Kiersten said defiantly. "Is there any other way?"

"Given her life style, I'd say not..."

"You said her case wasn't that severe, but her reaction to it was pretty bad...what caused that?"

"Well, over iodine production of the thyroid is often caused by stress...it could have been mental stress, like her new job, physical stress, over activity, pushing herself too hard and not resting enough, or emotional stress, such as dealing with new and traumatic information...if its hard to cope with it may put too much pressure on the body without her actual knowledge. I know that sounds odd but...more times than not it's from nerve racking news registered in a minimal amount of time."

The doctor took a moment to let them all process this before he began again. "The good news is that she is awake...we may need to run a few more tests to make sure we've purged her system of all the excess iodine, then you may see her one at a time." With that Dr. Martin left back to Riley's room.

Nick felt his knees go limp underneath him, and he dropped into the nearest chair and buried his face in his hands. Kiersten turned around to look at the older man, and sigh. She sat next to him and patted his knee lightly. "See Nick, it wasn't your fault."

Nick shook his head and huffed in anger as he stood up quickly from his chair, jolting it over in the process, and storming off down the hall.

_Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck! This is all my fault! If I hadn't pushed her to fuckin fool around just cause I needed some kind of fuckin release for some damn incident that happened fuckin a year ago, and overloaded her emotional state with my damn problems this wouldn't have happened!_

Nick punched the elevator wall and leaned back against the doors while rubbing his temples. The scientist in Nick knew that wasn't entirely true, the iodine would have affected Riley anyway, just not as much.

The doors dinged open and before Nick could move, they slid open, sending him falling backwards onto whoever was waiting to enter the elevator. He heard the 'oomph' under him as the two of them crashed into the ground. Nick quickly jumped up and spun around to apologize to whoever he had landed on...with all his luck it'd be the Devil himself ready to take him to the fiery pits of Hell.

"Nick?"

_Fuck...I think I'll take my chances with Satan. _

"Deven."

"Where is she?" Deven demanded and Nick shook his head.

"Third floor." Nick mumbled and walked off down the hall. Deven watched him go and raised his eyebrow.

"Where're you goin?" He asked the Texan.

"Coffee." Nick lied and Deven rolled his eyes and continued into the elevator.

**--So now we're gonna catch up with the lab in all their CSI glory... CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI tee hee--**

Catherine looked around the table at her fellow coworkers minus Nick. No one had heard from him since he left work yesterday. He wasn't answering his house or his cell, and given today's anniversary, everyone was freaking out. The blonde sighed in aggravation and stood up from the table and slipped into the locker room. Going on a whim, she dialed Nick's cell and waited for the ring.

"Stokes." The Texan drawl came after the fifth ring.

"Nick?"

"Jesus Cath, don't yell...I've got a killer migraine."

"Nicky where the hell are you?"

"What?"

"Shift started an hour ago...everyone's freaking out!"

There was a pause and a shuffle could be heard. "Fuck...I'm sorry Catherine."

"Where have you been?"

"The hospital."

It was her turn to pause. "Why?" Nick sighed and more shuffling could be heard. "Are you there now?"

"Sorta...I'm sittin in my car in the parking lot." He drawled.

"Why were you there in the first place?"

He sighed. "Just...just nothin. Don't worry about it." He didn't really feel like going into the whole Riley ordeal. Only Greg and Grissom knew for sure that he had been seeing Riley, Brass had a suspicion, but had yet to confront him about it. Sara, Warrick, Catherine, and everyone else were blissfully unaware.

Catherine bit her lip. "Nicky...a-are you there because-"

"No." He quickly denied. "It's not that Cath...just don't worry about it okay?"

"Are you alright?"

He sighed in half vexation. "I'm fine Catherine."

"Well...we need you down here. Cases are pouring in."

"The Pin-up?"

"No...Grissom is handling that himself for right now...but he needs everyone else on the other cases."

Nick sighed. "Alright. I'll be there in a few."

"Okay. B-" Before she could finish her sentence Nick hung up his phone. She sighed and shook her head. Something (and she had a good idea of what) was bothering him more than he was letting on...and she planned to get to the bottom of it.

**--Okay, y'all know that cool swirly thing they use in between scenes in old batman and Alfred Hitchcock movies? Well, inset that here with a picture of Nick's Denali driving...XD--**

Nick walked side by side with Catherine as they entered the parking garage at the building. The only lights that were provided were harsh yellow halogen lights, which always made you squint when you first entered their presence. Nick gripped his kit tighter and stole a quick, irritant glance at Catherine, causing her to look away from him. She had been staring at him sporadically since Grissom handed them the assignment slips. It was almost as if she was trying to get inside his brain by looking in his chocolate eyes.

He tossed his head to the side to brush his bangs away from his face. He sighed as he saw the blonde detective in the distance. Her hands were stuffed into her pockets and she nodded as a greeting as they neared her.

Nick nodded in return, but left it at that. "Whacha got?"

"Well, I wasn't sure if I should call it in as a 419 or a 401 a..." She shrugged and sighed.

"Hit and run?" Catherine asked.

"You tell me." On that note the trio walked over to the car pushed up against the wall. The black car had a brunette victim pinned to the wall, as her dead upper torso lay slumped on the slightly ajar hood of the car.

"Mm, I don't know. When you run you usually take the car." Nick sighed softly and leaned in slightly closer to see that the woman's head was turned away from him, so he rounded the car to get a look at her face.

"The vic is Sylvia Mullins, works up stairs...the guard found her." Sofia informed them.

"Did you run the plates?"

"That's why I called it in as a 419. The RO's the vic's."

Nick sighed again for no particular reason, other than that this was a tragedy and looked back up at Catherine. "Hit with her own car in her own spot." He noted, seeing the name 'Mullins' printed on the step in front of where the car was supposed to stop when parking. Sofia broke away from the two to go an argue lightly with the guard about something Nick couldn't hear.

Nick clenched his jaw in anger, the source of his anger was unknown, but it was evident enough to make Catherine look up cautiously. Nick ignored her as he continued to robotically process the scene.

**--Insert crazy swirly thing here...now let's catch up with our favorite female hospital occupant...(that'd be Riley)--**

Riley sighed and moved her head to the left to avoid Kiersten's questions. "C'mon Ry...talk to me."

"I don't fuckin know Kiersten!" She exclaimed and threw her head back down on the pillow. Her heart monitor began to beep wildly and Kiersten stroked the slightly younger girl's arm.

"Alright, alright...I'm sorry Chica. Don't have a heart attack." Kiersten joked, knowing that dry and ironic humor would be the only thing to pull a smile from the fellow Texan. Sure enough, Riley cracked a small smile at the dark joke and shook her head.

"I don't know Kiersten...I wasn't around radioactive iodine at all today...at least not that I know of..." She sighed and rubbed her forehead tiredly. "Is Nick back yet?"

Kiersten shook her head and Riley sighed. She knew he was really stressed out by all of this, and by the fact that one year ago today he had been stuck in a box underground, on the edge of suicide, being eaten alive by ants, thinking he'd never see the light of day again, slowly loosing his mind...all because some jerk had a grudge against CSI...

"Geez Chica, you're gonna wake up the comma patient fifteen floors above you with the wheels in your head...whacha think 'bout?"

Riley sighed. "Nothin...what time is it?"

Kiersten looked at her watch. "About ten o'clock...why?"

"Nick's probably at work right now..."

"Why would he be at work?"

"Cause it's his job."

"You're in the hospital..."

"So."

"Riley-"

"Just...if he comes back tell him I wanna see him."

Kiersten sighed nodded. "Do you wanna see Dev?"

"Nah. Last time I did that I got myself in a shit sit." Riley said and Kiersten laughed.

"Alright...I'll send Emma in." Riley nodded and smiled. "Don't push it Ry..." She kissed her forehead and exited the room, leaving Riley wishing Nick was there with her.

**--Doodle doodle doodle (insert swirly thing here) doodle doodle doodle doodle...XD--**

Nick had just gotten Sylvia Mullins bag and had yet to go through it. The prints from the camera in the parking garage hadn't come back from AFIS yet, but they were finally able to get a hold of Sylvia's bag.

Nick opened the bag and felt around for items. He found a tape recorder, camera, and a few other items including a date book. He held up the tape recorder and pressed play. Sylvia Mullins' voice came through the tiny recorder as she welcomed an unknown man and discussed taxes. Nick turned off the tape recorder, barely twenty seconds into the conversation and picked up the date book. He flipped through a few pages and found Kelly Gordon's name with a date and time next to it.

A small commotion down the hallway drew his attention for a few seconds, before he looked back at the book and picked up the tape recorder once again. He fast forwarded a few seconds, before pressing play and listening tentatively to the conversation between the victim and the daughter of the man who oh so very often haunted Nick's dreams.

He heard the two talk casually about Kelly's father and then about the estate he left for her. Suddenly, an idea formed in Nick's head, and he turned off the recording and picked up his cell phone. He dialed a number enlisted in the book and waited for the person on the other end. "Yeah, this is Nick Stokes with the Las Vegas Crime Lab. We're trying to reach Kelly Gordon's parole officer...great. I need Kelly's contact information."

**--So here we go...Nick and Kelly in the interrogation room...Yay awkwardness!--**

"I have relatives in Provo...I was going to visit them. I cleared it with my PO. You gonna tell me why a state trooper pulled over my bus and yanked me off?" She snapped and Nick narrowed his gaze...now was really not the time. And it was only so ironic that he just happened to be sitting across from the woman whose father tried to kill him a year ago...all for her.

"You know a lady named Sylvia Mullins?"

"Yeah." She answered shortly.

"Did you have a meeting with her yesterday?"

"Yeah. So..."

"So, why did you have a meeting with her yesterday?" he emphasized the point of yesterday, as if it held significance.

"Sylvia's handling my dad's estates."

"Hmm."

"She's the trustee...what's going on here?" She looked towards the police guard standing behind Nick, then back to the Texan himself.

"Ms. Mullins was found in her parking garage...crushed by her own car."

"And you think I had something to do with it." She finished for him.

"When you worked in the prison garage, did you just fix cars or did you learn how to steal them?"

"Are you kidding me?"

Nick narrowed his gaze again and dropped his tone. "Does it look like I'm kidding you? You waited for her to get out of work so you could let her know how you felt about her."

"Sylvia was my dad's friend. She was helping me get back on my feet. How I felt was grateful. CSI put me in jail for something I didn't do. Do you really think I'm going to kill somebody the minute I get out?"

"Hold out your hands." Nick asked, ignoring her last question. He picked up a swab and looked at Kelly expectantly. She didn't move, only glared at him. "Hold out your hands." He demanded again. "Ms. Mullins' airbag deployed on impact. Airbag dust gets everywhere. It's really hard to get rid of."

"Not if it isn't there." And with that Kelly held out her hands so Nick could swab them. She saw him look at her tattoo questioningly. The last time someone had done that in one of these interrogation rooms...she was wishing him dead.

**--Nick's the most interesting person in this chapter (figured everyone's tried of hospitals) so we're gonna stick with Nick for a while--**

It was quiet...too quiet...didn't that just sound like a bad horror movie? But that's basically what this was...it was like a really bad horror movie that Nick was staring in, and no one cared enough to tell him. He sat at the computer desk in the only empty room in the entire lab. The florescent light from the lamp next to him felt like it was blinding him. He pulled up the case file he was looking for...his case file.

Nick searched through all the facts and evidence from his case, the cup, the dog entrails, and the recording...he reluctantly clicked on it and the words he heard in his nightmares flooded the computers' speaker system._ "Hi CSI guy, you wondering why you're here?" _

The flashback hit Nick like a head on crash with a semi. The memories of lying in the coffin, only seeing by the harsh green light of the glow sticks, and Walter Gordon's harsh words assaulting his ears. _"Because you followed the evidence. Because that's what CSIs do." _

Nick felt his breathing become labored. He felt his oxygen running out, and the ants' harsh bites pumping venom into his blood. The voices and faces of his coworkers standing around him, frantically trying to save him. _"So breathe quick, breathe slow, put your gun in your mouth and pull the trigger. Anyway you like, you're going to die here." _Nick took in a deeper breath and tried to calm himself.

"_Okay. Perfect."_ The voice said softly. Nick raised his brow and played the last part of the tape back._ "You're going to die here. Okay. Perfect." _

Nick furred his brow and looked at the computer. _Archie..._

Nick took the tape of Kelly's voice and the tape from Walter Gordon and headed down to the A/V lab. "Hey, Archie."

"Hey, I did my best to enhance the parking garage footage, but I just can't get an image of the killer's face." Archie explained.

"If you got a couple of minutes I need a voice comparison." Nick began and Archie looked over at him curiously.

"Yeah, what do you got?"

Nick held up the small tape and waved it slightly. "Kelly Gordon's voice on tape. I want to see if it's the other voice in the Walter Gordon audio file."

Archie nodded slightly. "Grissom told you."

Nick looked at him suspiciously. "No, but he obviously told you."

Archie's face fell and he looked away quickly. He was busted. "Nick, uh..."

Nick shook his head and clenched his jaw. "You know what? Forget about it. If the girl's involved then she's capable of murder. It's all cued up for you. Her voice is first." Nick finished and left the tapes on the table before walking out of Archie's lab. Nick sighed and walked down the hall before his cell began to ring. He unclipped it from his belt and looked at the display. **K.P.** _Kiersten..._ "Stokes."

"Where are you?" Kiersten whispered harshly. Nick sighed.

"Am at work Kiersten, what do you need?" He said irritated.

"It's not what I need, Riley's been askin about you and I'll be damned if I'm gonna tell her that her boyfriend went off for coffee and never came back. She freaked out when we told her no one's heard from him in almost fourteen hours. They had to give her sedatives to calm her down and get her heart rate back down..." Kiersten drawled and Nick sighed, feeling the guilt wash over him like a heavy blanket.

"We're swamped on cases Kiersten, I can't talk. I haven't had time to breathe, let alone call y'all Tell her I'm sorry."

"She knows your sorry...she just doesn't know why you took off to begin with." Kiersten said, causing Nick to lapse into silence. "Go back to work Nick. They obviously need you." Kiersten hung up and Nick sighed. She hadn't said it with venom or emphasized the fact that the lab needed him...but it felt like she did. He knew he couldn't just walk away from work, but he should have at least called them and let someone know where he was going.

"Oh, hey, Nick, Nick." Catherine called form down the hall, and hurried to catch up with him. "We caught a break."

"The security guard confessed." Nick guessed and Catherine shook her head.

"No. Archie isolated a frame of the killer turning the focus ring." She handed the tired Texan the photo from Archie's lab. It was the killer's hand...with a tattoo of a small flower on the palm.

Nick looked back up at Catherine. "We got her..."

**--Just FYI, I cut the scene with Grissom cause it pissed me off how it went down...(shrugs)...hey, it's my book...--**

_Alright...we'll catch up with our beloved, troubled, theatrical couple in the next chapter...until then, --waves--_

_That's all folks!_

_-Chella_


	16. Chapter 16

_I don't own anyone from CSI...or the LVPD...and the spoilers are...Grave Danger, Daddy's Little Girl, Cool Change, Who Are You, Random Acts of Violence, and No More Bets...none of which do I own...I also don't own...well anything... :)_

**Chapter 16**

_(Next night) _

Nick cautiously stepped out of the elevator and walked quietly to the waiting room outside of Riley's door. He wasn't too surprised to see that everyone had gathered into the waiting room, all of whom were asleep. Nick was thankful for that. He stepped passed them and went to Riley's door. He braced himself before he turned the knob and pushed open the door, to see the sleeping form of Riley.

She wasn't hooked up to many machines, only one with a needle in her arm, and one other to monitor her heart rate. He sighed softly and walked towards the bed and placed two fingers on the rail of the hospital bed and watched her nose twitch as she slept. He knew waking her would more than likely upset the doctors, so he pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. Her hand was lying still beside her thigh, and he reached out and wrapped his slightly larger one around it.

She moved in her sleep so that her head was now facing him, but her eyes were still closed. Nick smiled softly and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. The hospital lights made her pallor even whiter than it normally was, and her hairline was glistened with sweat. He chuckled knowing that when she woke up she'd no doubt bitch at the doctors until they allowed her to take a shower. She hated feeling the least bit grimy. Riley had no problems getting dirty...but she had problems with staying that way.

Nick felt his eyelids drooping as he watched her sleep, and he allowed his eyes to close...but only for a moment.

**--Now let's catch up with them about...oh, say an hour later--**

Nick felt his hand being tugged only lightly, which nudged him from his sleep. He took in a sleepy breath and sat up to see Riley shifting in her sleep. He smiled and shook his head; she always tossed and turned like crazy throughout the night. Hair had fallen back into her face, and once again, Nick pushed it out of the way; accidentally stirring her from her sleep. Her eyes fluttered open and he bit his lip and smiled in apology. "Sorry..."

She smiled and squeezed his hand tighter. "Hey...I missed you." She said and nick nodded.

"I missed you too Baby...more than you'll know." He vowed and stroked her cheek lightly. She smiled sadly and arranged his bangs so that they were out of his face.

"Tough shift?"

_Nah, ya know, just the usual confrontation of the woman whose father buried you under ground in an attempt to figure out who the Hell else was in on it..._

"Nah...same ol' same ol'..." Nick lied. "I just missed you. I'm sorry I didn't call. We were kinda swamped."

"Hey," She waved the comment away. "Someone has to put the bad guys away."

_Or girls..._

He smiled and brought the chair as close to the bed as it would go. "So, how many doctors have you threatened since you've been here?"

"Three doctors, five nurses, and six assistants...in counting. I'll tell ya though, the main doctor, Dr. Martin, he's pretty cute."

"Babe, not the kinda thing I wanna here today."

She rolled her eyes. "Not for me." She swatted his arm. "I'm _talkin_ about Kiersten."

"Well...he _was_ checking her out yesterday." Nick noted and Riley processed this new information.

"Hmm..."

"No no no, uh uh."

"What?" Riley asked innocently and Nick laughed while shaking his head.

"Stay out of it Ry."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb. If things are meant to happen, they'll happen _without_ your help."

She looked at him oddly. "You really do believe in that whole 'love at first sight' crap don'cha?"

Nick rolled his eyes. "Not necessarily, but this will happen if it's meant to. Don't meddle Riley."

"What if I just-"

"Bryn Riley Ann Turner! You need to stay out of this. Things will just be screwed up if you do."

"Yeah, I do tend to fuck up relationships."

"Yeah you do." Nick admitted shaking his head, knowing that comment would earn him a beating from her. Sure enough she gaped at him and punched his shoulder, much like she did the guys. Nick laughed and held his shoulder. "Damn! You gotta hard punch for a woman lying in a hospital bed."

She shook her head and Nick leaned over and kissed her cheek. "...So I can't even get his number?" She asked and Nick rose a brow. She rolled her eyes. "For _Kiersten_."

Nick smirked. "I think I should just get you a new doctor all together." Nick joked and Riley rolled her eyes and pulled him closer to kiss him. Nick leaned over towards her and put one hand on her side, and the other braced himself above her. He deepened the kiss, both of them needing to feel something, and the sudden passion filled contact from Nick sent Riley's heart monitor beeping rapidly.

Dr. Martin hurried into the room and interrupted the couple's passionate kiss. When he realized what was going on he cracked a smile. "Well, I think we found the source of the increased reactions to the iodine and heart rate." He said casually, not realizing what his words would do in Nick's mind. Nick immediately pulled away from Riley and stood a few feet away from the bed. Riley realized what ideas the doctor had planted in Nick's hair and she internally grimaced.

_Man...! I am gonna kick some _serious_ doctor ass when they let me out of this damn bed...! _She vowed and sighed.

**--Tee hee...I know...I'm completely evil...it didn't bother me when my mom said it and it doesn't bother me now--**

"_Las Vegas Police Department! Open up!" A muffled voice yelled. _

_All that could be heard was silence. _

_All that could be seen was black._

_Smash! _

_Crack! _

"_Kelly Gordon, you're under arrest for the murder of Sylvia Mullins." The voice became slightly clearer...it was a woman..._

_Suddenly a small white light began to shine from the center of the black. _

"_Stand up." The voice demanded. It's definitely Sofia. The accent was unmistakable. _

_Suddenly the white light moved up and stretched to form the shape of a body...a woman. _

_The black was gone, and was now replaced by the hot, bleary room that he had been in earlier that day. _

_Kelly Gordon stood up, and struggled to keep her arms up as Sofia patted her down. _

_Her icy blue eyes were on Nick the entire time. _

"_Care why I did it?" She whispered. _

"_Doesn't matter now." Nick answered. His voice sounded faint to his own ears...almost as if it was far away. _

"_She told me my dad didn't leave me anything. He never would've done that...he loved me." She whispered. _

_Nick stared at her as Sofia slapped the cold metal cuffs on the blonde's tiny, thin wrists. "So you killed her?" Sofia asked. _

_Nick's attention was involuntarily drawn to the bedside table. He could see a tiny orange bottle on it. _

"_The ransom was her idea. She didn't get the money. She took it from me." _

_And with that Kelly collapsed on the bed and began convulsing. _

_My God...what was happening? _

_Realization finally hit Nick. _

"_She's OD'ing...she's OD'ing right now!" Nick yelled. _

"_Call a paramedic!" Sofia demanded. _

_Everything else faded around him as he watched Kelly convulse on the unsanitary bed. _

"_Vicodine, INH, methadone. Kelly!" Nick yelled and leaned over her. "Kelly! Kelly!" _

_She stopped convulsing. _

_Nick slowly dragged his gaze up to Sofia, who kneeled down next to Kelly on the bed and began chest compressions. _

_Kelly's eyes opened again and she looked over at Nick. _

_The cyanosis had settled, turning her lips blue. She slowly parted her lips and a groaning sound came from her. _

_Suddenly, millions of ants came pouring from her mouth and attacked Nick. _

_The crawled up his arms, and all over his body, biting and pinching. _

"_Stop! Oh God! Get them off me! Not again!" Nick screamed and tried to push the ants off of him. "God no! No!" _

"Nick! Nick! Stop it! It's only a nightmare!" Kiersten's voice yelled, snapping Nick out of his Hell.

Nick bolted forward, almost out of the chair, and tried to calm his breathing. He wiped the sweat off of his face and shook the remnants of his nightmare away.

"Jesus..." Emma said from the sidelines. Nick looked up and saw that everyone had witnessed his episode...he only hoped he hadn't been talking in his sleep again.

"Who the Hell is 'Kelly'?" Deven wondered, suspiciously.

_No such luck..._

"And what is up with all the drugs? Vicodine, INH, methadone...?" CJ asked.

"Is Kelly a drug dealer?" Shaun inquired.

"Is she your 'other woman'?" Jabari questioned.

"Dude, do I need to kick your ass?" Jon asked.

"Get bent ass holes." Kiersten demanded and shook her head. "Nick, Riley wants to see you..."

Nick slowly stood up and tried to avoid the dozen pairs of eyes watching him curiously as he walked into Riley's room. Nick opened the door and slipped in, promptly closing it so no one could see them. She was sitting propped up in the bed, twittling her thumbs. "Hey..." She greeted softly when she saw him.

He forced a tiny smile and walked into the room. "Hey...how are you?"

"Fine...how are you?"

He chuckled dryly. "I'm not the one in a hospital bed."

"No...but you are the one who woke up the comma patient on the top floor with your nightmare..." Nick paled and Riley scooted over in her bed and motioned for him to come over. "We didn't really get a chance to talk because of..." She gestured around her and smiled sadly. "How has your day been?"

Nick shrugged and sat down on the very edge of the bed. "It's been fine. Normal stuff you know?"

"_Uh hmm_...so who's Kelly?"

Nick looked over and held up his hands in surrender. "I'm not having an affair."

She rolled her eyes. "Duh. I figured that. Your time is completely booked with your work and me...but who is she?"

Nick sighed. "Just...just no one."

"Victim?"

Nick paused and looked into Riley's baby blue eyes. "Sorta." He said nodding slightly, and looking away.

She reached over and grabbed his hand. "Tell me Nick...what's goin on?"

Nick sighed. He didn't want to tell her this new burden, she obviously couldn't handle it. He ran a shaky hand through his brown hair and shook his head. "It's just...it's been a long day...it was just a case that got to me because of this." He gestured around them.

"Nick, c'mon. Tell me about it."

"I thought we made a 'no bringing our jobs into our relationship' rule...?"

She nodded. "We did. But I'm breaking the rule this once for the sake of the relationship. And before you object, _yes _I can do that since it could pose a detriment to your mental and emotional health, and I want you in the best physical, mental, and emotional condition because I'm greedy like that; therefore, it is now a part of our relationship." She summed up and Nick raised an impressed brow.

"You should be a lawyer."

"Nah, I hate politics and the law..." She joked and Nick rolled his eyes. "So c'mon...spill Cowboy."

Nick sighed, knowing there was no way out of this, and lying wasn't an option because she'd kick his ass if she found out. "Alright...remember how I told you about Walter Gordon...the guy with the grudge against CSI?" She nodded and Nick continued. "Well..."

**--Okay so let's skip ahead about six hours...yep, that's where we are...--**

Nick sat in the chair off to the side of the bed and watched Riley sleep. After he had told her about the case with Kelly, and then her horrible suicide, the nurse had come in to run a daily test on Riley and orally administered the solution of Potassium Iodine. Riley had fallen asleep shortly thereafter, and Nick had been contemplating his current situation ever since. Riley had taken the news just as she had when he told her about being buried alive.

She didn't ask him how he felt about it; how it had changed his life, or remind him how lucky he was to be alive himself, that she he was lucky she hadn't tried to harm him...she simply sat there and listened, held his hand, gave him an encouraging nod when he needed it, and asked about the facts. It was an odd type of relief that someone was just leaving it alone. If he didn't go into detail about something, she wouldn't push. She knew he'd tell her when he was ready. If it was too hard to talk about, she'd create a small diversion that would eventually lead them back to the topic, which was one reason it had taken them nearly four hours to tell the entire story.

Riley shifted in her sleep and scrunched her nose about something in her dream, causing Nick to smile. He sat on the bed next to her sleeping form and stroked her cheek lightly so as not to wake her. Her breathing stayed even as nick leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "You can be arrested for that ya know." Came Riley's sleepy drawling, startling Nick.

"You're awake."

"You're busted."

He smiled and placed one hand on her other side in between her hip and her arm. "I've kissed you in your sleep before." He replied once he had situated into a more comfortable position.

"Aw damn, you've been givin me kisses and I haven't even been awake to enjoy it..." She pouted and Nick bent back down to place a soft kiss on her lips. She smiled as he pulled away. "Thank you..."

Nick shrugged. "Eh, it's the only way I know how to shut you up." Nick joked and she pursed her lips to suppress a smile.

"_A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous_." Riley quoted.

"Ingrid Bergman...I'm impressed."

She smiled. "Yeah, I know a lil' somethin somethin. I ain't just all good looks..."

"Yes, but you're so stunningly beautiful people don't get to see the brains behind the beauty often enough." Nick complimented and she gave him a look.

"Ooh, butter my toast Nick."

"Any day Baby." He replied, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. _But not any time soon, because the last time we tried that you ended up in the hospital..._

There was a soft knock on the door, and the young couple turned to see the door open slightly and the form of no other than Gil Grissom in the doorway. "Griss?" Nick asked confused. "Am I late for work again?" He asked, checking his watch. Grissom shook his head.

"No Nick, actually you have today off. You worked straight through the weekend...you need a break." Grissom replied. "I'm assigned to Ms. Turner's case."

"My _case_?" She asked confused.

"Whoa, whoa, Grissom...what? Do you think this was an attempt on her life?" He asked and Grissom shrugged. "So what is this? A 425...suspicious circs?"

"Huh?" Riley asked.

"I'm not sure Nick...I'll need to investigate it to figure that out." Grissom concluded, gesturing with the glasses he was holding and a case file, presumably Riley's. "You're off today, but we'll need you back tomorrow Nick."

"I want this case."

"No."

"Grissom-"

"Nick..." Grissom began, and his eyes shifted to Riley. Nick sighed and nodded towards the doorway. He turned back and held up a finger to signal he'd only be a minute. She waved him away and Nick entered the hallway with Grissom. Nick was slightly surprised to see that everyone had cleared out.

_Probably hauled ass the minute Grissom uttered the words 'I'm with the Las Vegas Police Department.'..._

"I'm on this case Grissom."

"No Nick, you're not. You need to go home, stay with Riley, she needs you."

"She'll be in the hospital for the next three days."

"No, I spoke with the doctor earlier and he's sending her home tonight."

"Why are you doin this Grissom?"

Grissom looked at the younger man confused and shook his head. "Doing what?"

"I want to work this case." Nick explained, almost whining. "You think I won't be able to handle it...why? I mean Hell, I just got off a shift where I had to deal with the murder of the assistant in my kidnapping, and, nice surprise, the murderer just so happened to be the daughter of the man who tried to kill me...and she ended up committing suicide."

"It's precisely that Nick. It's not that I think you can't handle it professionally, you've hard a tough shift, you're dealing with personal issues, and you have emotional ties to the victim."

"Don't call Riley that..." Nick growled in a deep voice.

"...You'd compromise the investigation." Nick put his hands on his waist and looked down at his feet. "Go home Nicky...take care of her...come back to work on Tuesday and I'll have a new case for you."

Grissom left him in the hall to think about things while he dealt with the investigation. Nick wasn't at all happy at being turned down for the chance to work the case...Hell, if anyone would have asked Grissom wouldn't have denied them.

Catherine dealt with the murder of Holly Gibbs, the accused rape involving her ex husband...the only case she'd ever been pulled from and not worked was when it dealt with Sam Braun. Warrick worked the shooting of the little girl whose father helped get him back on his feet, and Sara got practically any case she wanted...so why was Grissom being so biased towards Nick?

**--Goodness, Nicky has an EMO little mind doesn't he? Reminds me of a shirt I saw today...it was black with the little fish from Finding Nemo on it...instead the fish had black bangs in it's face and a wrist cuff, the shirt said 'Finding EMO'...BTW, that had no relevance to any of this besides the fact that I thought it was funny...XD BTW, this is early the next day...--**

"Ah! You mother fucker! Don't block my damn pass!" Marty ordered.

"You're not on my team dumb ass!" Jon exclaimed while slapping the man upside the back of the head.

"So!"

"That's the point of the game, Marty." Joey explained and Marty threw a pillow at his younger brother, his eyes never leaving the game.

"Pass the ball! Pass the ball!" Shaun demanded, pounding the remote controller wildly in an attempt to win.

"You're not on my team!" Jon explained again.

"Oh...whose team am I on?"

"Mine." Marty replied. "Shit! Block him Shaun!"

"Well sor-_ry_ I just figured out I've been playing against my own team. So sue me."

"No, I think I'll pound your ass in instead." Marty replied and tackled Shaun off the couch. The two began to wrestle good naturedly and Jon threw down the remote in victory.

"Hell yeah! I won Baby!"

"Well that shouldn't have been hard, considering you were playing against two dumbasses." Deven called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, but it was a handicapped game."

"Not really." Deven replied chuckling. The aroma of something sweet filled the air and all the occupants of the living room, plus Jabari and CJ from the next room, came wandering into the kitchen in search of the source of the aroma.

"Whacha makin Dev?" CJ asked and Deven shrugged.

"Nothin...just some pancakes."

"With strawberry chunks cooked into it topped with strawberry sauce and whipped cream..." Jabari stated and smiled as realization dawned on him. "Riley's favorite...she's comin home today isn't she Deven?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Oooooh! Deven's trying to win her back through pancakes..._classy_." Marty joked and several of them snickered. Just then the front door opened, and the woman in question walked into the room, arguing lightly about something with Nick.

"No Nick, you've got better chances of pigs flyin." Riley drawled.

"C'mon...I'll wear what you want me to." He bargained and she laughed and shook her head.

"Nope. Not gonna happen." Riley decided and Nick moaned.

"C'mon...just the stockings and hat."

"Fuck no. It'd look weird without the dress." Riley stated and turned into the kitchen, not aware of the fact that everyone had heard the intimate conversation between the two. She sniffed the air and smiled. "Oooh! Somethin smells _good_!" She drawled and rushed over to the source. "Oh goodness! Strawberry swirl pancakes with strawberry sauce and whipped cream..."

"You're favorite." Nick and Deven finished at the same time.

Riley smiled and nodded; while Deven and Nick set each other with hard glares. A few of the guys snickered, and Deven silenced them with death glares. "Who made 'em?" She asked and Deven nodded a little to signal he had done it. He was rewarded with a 100 watt smile and slight shake of the head. "You've out done yourself Mr. Guisens." Riley complimented and winked as she walked up the stairs to her room. Nick shot Deven one more glare before continuing up the stairs behind Riley, and leaving the men back down stairs.

"Nice Deven, you're gonna make her breakfast on her first day back...tryin to get into her pants?" Shaun asked waggling his eyebrows and giving a thumbs up. Deven ignored him.

"You do know she has a boyfriend right?" Joey asked and Deven glared.

"Didn't stop you from hittin on her."

Joey held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, you two weren't datin then..."

"Fuck off Joey." Deven mumbled.

"Hey man, don't get pissy with me just cause you fucked up and fucked some other chick and blew your chances with Riley." Joey replied and quicker than anyone could react, Deven football tackled the man to the ground and the two began to Duke it out.

"Hey! Stop it you ass holes!" The men demanded, but Joey and Deven were too busy beating the shit out of each other on the living room floor to notice.

Riley and Nick came rushing down the stairs when the heard the yelling and rumbling, both looking rather worried. "Deven! Joey! Stop it!" Riley demanded. But they ignored her.

"Hey! Knock it off!" Nick shouted, getting in the middle of them. In a blind furry, Deven wheeled off and punched Nick square across the chops. Nick fell backwards and Riley rushed forward.

"Deven!" She screamed. At that exact moment Joey jumped up and went to hit Deven again, and Deven swung back in self defense, and accidentally hit Riley in the process, sending her falling to the floor in the process.

Everyone stopped, the fighting, the yelling, the swinging, except for Nick's fist connecting with Deven's jaw, sending him to the floor much as he had done Riley. Nick went to Riley's side and she stood up and shook her head. "What the fuck is wrong with y'all!" She demanded. Deven stood up and looked torn between running away from the wrath Riley would bestow upon him, or the wrath he was gonna give himself (which he couldn't really run from). No one said a word. "Answer me Damnit!" She ordered angrily, making several grown men flinch.

No answer still.

"If someone doesn't answer me in three seconds I swear to God..."

"Deven tackled Joey cause he made fun of the fact that he fucked up his chances with you and that he was trying to win you back through pancakes. So they duked it out...then you came in and..." CJ supplied and shrugged his shoulders.

All attention turned to Deven, who hung his head. Riley shook her head and stalked out the front door, slamming it behind her in the process. Nick was quick to follow her out, and caught her before she lit her cigarette. "Riley, the doctor said no cigarettes."

"Fuck the doctor; I'm sure getting punched in the face wasn't exactly on the top of his list either..." She growled and lit the end of the cigarette. Nick promptly plucked it from her mouth, put out the end, and slid it back in the pack. She sighed and Nick stuck the pack into his front shirt pocket.

"Stay here." He replied and went back into the house. All the attention turned to him, and he ignored them and went into the kitchen to grab an ice pack from the freezer. He walked back out and tossed two towards the two injured men in the living room. "Ice it." He ordered, and disappeared back outside with the third ice pack. He sat down in the lawn chair and motioned for Riley. She came over and sat in the chair next to him; he held the ice pack gently to her bruised cheek bone and pushed the hair from her face. "Are you okay?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's fine. Paige and I used to get into worse fights than that." She chuckled.

"Really...like when?" Nick asked in an attempt to divert her from her anger and the chance of her storming back in there and kicking some serious ass...

"Well, one time when we were like five and eleven, we were hangin out at my Dad's office building, and there was a gym there. So Paige and I went into the gym and were playing basket ball..." She laughed again. "I can't even remember what we were fighting about, but we started Dukein' it out, and my Dad came in...Boy I'll tell ya, he was _pissed_!" She laughed and slapped her knee as Nick laughed at the mental image. "He yanked us apart, picked us up by our shirt collar, and gave us the _worst _Texas-tongue-lashin ever! Man! It was _bad_! Then another time, we were like eight and fourteen, we were hangin out at my Mom's work, ironically a gym again, and we were swimming around in the pool...I think we were playin Cat Woman or Spider Man or somethin...but anyway, we started play fightin...apparently it looked real. They have these huge windows in the indoor swimming pool, where people who are working out can look through and see the pool and Jacuzzi. So my mom comes rushin out and yells at us sayin that people thought we were actually fightin...man, I was on the floor laughin my ass off!"

Nick laughed at the thought of two preteen girls playing Spider Man, and getting in trouble for play fighting. "Y'all were wild!"

"That wasn't even the worst time! When we were I was fourteen and she was about twenty, we threw a house party while my parents were away to Florida, we were a little drunk, and we started wrestlin, get this, in little white tank tops and booty shorts, in our backyard, at two in the morning! Of course the guys loved it, Hell; I think Jabari even got pictures! But we were so into it, we did the Hulk thing and ripped the tank tops in half and tossed 'em...it was friggin awesome!"

Nick laughed and shook his head. "I gotta tell ya Babe...that's kinda hot."

She laughed. "Did I mention it had rained earlier that morning and we were wrestling in the mud?"

"I want those pictures." Nick said seriously and she laughed.

"Good luck...I think Jabari's holdin them ransom..."

Nick laughed. "Geez...you _were_ a wild child."

"I told you!" She said laughing and took the ice pack off her cheek. "This is fine...your turn."

"I'm fine." Nick said standing up and moving away.

"Sit." Riley said and Nick reluctantly sat. She placed the ice pack carefully on his injury and she shook her head. "See, you gotta stop jumpin in the middle of fights..."

"You're one to talk." Nick accused, a small smile on his face.

She smiled. "Alright, after this wonderful experience, I think I wanna take a hundred hour nap..."

"You mean a comma? You wanna take a comma?" Nick asked, remembering the joke from Dane Cook. She smiled.

"Yep. But with the 30 Stooges here I don't think that'll happen here. Wanna go back to your place?" She asked, knowing if they tried hard enough, they could probably sleep at her house, she just wanted to get him to walk back through his front door without something going wrong.

Nick sighed, but nodded. "Alright. You want me to go grab you some clothes?" She shook her head, grabbed his hand and placed it to the ice pack.

"I'll get 'em...be back in a second." With that she disappeared into the house.

**--Yeah, I know...kinda dumb place to end the chapter, but I've gotta put a warning for the next scene in the next chapter...;D--**

_Reviews are like water to a desert wanderer...so you should quench my thirst and review! XD_

_-FMCSI60_


	17. Chapter 17

_Rating warning! This chapter is M...for the good stuff! --wink wink-- And the rest of it is merely fluff...or is it...?_

**Chapter 17**

_(Later that morning...let's say about eleven-ish)_

Nick hefted the over night bag over his shoulder and ushered Riley through the front door. "Go ahead in Sweetheart. Are ya hungry?" He asked as he closed the door with his foot and she nodded. "Is tomato soup okay?" He ask and she nodded. He laughed as she yawned and lay down on the couch. "Geez, stay awake long enough to eat it." He joked and she smiled and nestled into the couch.

"I'm just resting my eyes." She murmured and Nick chuckled.

"The famous last words..." He joked.

Sure enough, not even ten minutes later, the soup was ready and Nick had gone into the living room to get Riley, when he saw her fast asleep on the sofa. He chuckled and knelt down next to her, and brushed a small piece of hair from her face (something that frequently happened when she slept) and scooped her up carefully in his arms to carry her into his room and lay her softly in the new bed that had yet to be slept in. He pulled off her shoes and took off her jacket so she was in her black spaghetti strapped top and jeans. Nick pulled the blankets up over her body and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Night Hon."

And with that he disappeared out of the room.

**--Yep...short scene...I know...and pretty much pointless...or was it? Wow...I'm very ambiguous in this chapter...XD--**

Nick felt something shift next to him, and he slowly opened his eyes to realize it was Riley. She was sitting up, propped up on her elbow and watching him sleep. She smiled as his brown eyes settled on her. "You're cute when you sleep." She commented. "Did you know that you talk in your sleep?"

"I don't like to be watched when I sleep." He said softly and she nodded.

"Okay." She smiled a little more and slid down into te bed next to him.

"What'd I say?" He asked curiously and she shrugged and smiled knowingly.

"Somethin about shoe polish and a remote controller...then of course there was the puppy..."

Nick knitted his brow. "I didn't dream about any of those things."

"Well what'd you dream about?"

"You." He answered and she smiled.

"Aww...you big mush. Seriously Nicky, you're very fluffy."

Nick gaped at her in mock-umbrage. "Are you callin me fat?"

She laughed. "No...I'm saying you are very mushy."

"You're callin me fat again." He accused and she rolled her eyes.

"No, I mean you're a romantic..."

"Yeah...a _fat_ romantic apparently." He joked and she laughed.

"Quit worrying about your appearance, you're sexy...get over it."

"So I'm a sexy, yet fat, romantic." He summed and she rolled her eyes and shoved him over.

"Ah! Nick!" She groaned and he laughed and pulled her towards him.

"A ha! See, even you can't stand to be in the same bed with a sexy, fat, romantic..."

"You're _crazy_ insane baby."

"I know...a crazy insane, sexy, fat, romantic!" He exclaimed and she collapsed against the pillows.

"This is a weird conversation."

"Honey...when are any of our conversations ever normal?"

"Never." She answered and picked her head up. "Is it raining?" She asked as she heard the slight dribble of water hitting the roof.

"Shit! The windows are down in the Denali!" Nick exclaimed and bolted from the bed and out the door. She listened as she heard the front door slam shut, and Nick yelling profanities over the rain...she was rubbing off on him. She laughed as she heard him yelling more, and then the front door opened and closed. A few seconds later a very soaked Nick appeared in the doorway.

She rolled over and curled up in a ball, the form of doubling over laughing while lying down. "Oh my God!" She laughed in between breaths.

His wet white shirt was sticking to his body and his shaggy brown hair was tossed around and sticking up in weird ways. "It was a sprinkler...that wasn't anywhere near my car..." He explained frustrated and she continued laughing. "Oh, you think this is funny?"

She continued laughing, but nodded. "I can see your nipples through that shirt Nicky..."

"That'd be because it's freezing in here." Nick answered and walked over to the bed.

"No, no, no! Stay away...you're soaking wet." Riley said, holding her hands as a shield and an evil smile appeared on Nick's face.

"Oh...you don't like soaking wet men?"

She shook her head. "Don't Nick."

"Don't 'what' Riley...?" Nick asked as he crawled on the bed towards her. She jumped up and ran to the corner.

"Don't come near me, you're wet, I'm dry...that's how I wanna stay."

"Wet...? Okay!" He ran towards her and picked her up and slung her over his shoulder.

"No! Nick! Put me down!" She demanded.

"C'mon baby. It'll be fun."

"No. It won't. Now put me down!"

"I'm sorry...I can only hear people when they're as soaking wet as I am." He answered.

"That makes absolutely no sense!" She informed him. "Now put me down!"

"Sorry...can't hear you." He replied and walked out his front door.

"Nick no! Put me down! NO!" She squealed, and Nick merely laughed.

"Ready Darlin'?"

"Hell no!"

"Oh well!" And with that he ran through the sprinkler, with Riley slung over his shoulder.

She squealed and kicked her feet and tried to wiggle from his grasp. "I'm gonna kick your ass Nicholas Garret Stokes!" She threatened.

"Language Sweetheart..."

"Oh I'll give you language!" She threatened and Nick laughed.

"Oh, I'm countin on that..."

"Ha! If you think you're getting laid after this you are sadly mistaken. Now put me down!"

"I wasn't talkin about sex Sweetheart." He noted and ran through the sprinklers again.

"Well you still aren't gettin any sex..."

"Sugar coat it Darlin'. We're in the presence of children." He nodded towards the little kids next door to him, watching them in confusion. "Call it 'making love'."

"'Making love'...what are you a girl?"

"Nice Baby, nice." He replied and ran back through the sprinklers, making her squeal again.

"Nick stop!" She pleaded and Nick started walking back towards the house. She folded her arms across her chest (which was kind of hard considering she was still slung over his shoulder) and let out a 'humph'. "I don't like you."

"Liar."

"Jerk."

"Oooh, testy." He joked.

"I don't like cold water."

Nick laughed. "As a man, I'm prone to appreciating the affects cold water has on us on a lonely Friday night..."

"Well good, cause you're gonna need that little trick for a _long_ time..." She warned and Nick laughed.

"Nah, you can't resist my innate sexiness." Nick joked

"Wanna bet?"

"Nope. Cause I'd give up about two seconds into it..."

This earned a laugh from her. "You're crazy insane Nick."

"We established that Sweetheart." He replied and laid her back on the bed. "Do you want to change into your pajamas?" He asked and she shook her head.

"Nope." She replied and yanked him down on top of her on the bed. "What I'm thinking about doesn't involve much clothing." She replied in a low voice and waggled her eye brows.

Nick pulled away uncertainly. A flashback from their last attempt against the front door crept into his mind. "I don't know Honey...are you sure you're up for it?"

She sighed, figuring that'd be his response. Despite all their sexual joking, she assumed that Nick would be tentative after what happened last time...even though it wasn't his fault. "It's sex Nick, not the Olympics." She grabbed his hand and directed him to the spot next to her.

"...I...I don't know Riley."

"Nick, it wasn't your fault about what happened against the door, so don't even worry about that." She consoled and Nick sighed.

"I know..."

"So what's the problem?" She asked, and Nick rolled over on to her gently. She smiled and pulled him closer so that she could kiss him, when his wet shirt made contact with her bare arms she shivered, so Nick pulled it off over his head. His hands dropped to her waist, and he pushed her shirt slowly up her body, placing warm kisses as her body became exposed to him. She let her arms rest above her head as Nick pushed the wet, black material up her arms, and off her hands. He took her wrists gently and brought them back down her sides, holding them against the bed lightly with enough room for her to wiggle free of him if she wanted to.

He let his hands stroke across her abdomen, and the warm the skin of her belly. His head slowly dropped to cover her naval as he undid the button on her jeans, and struggled pushing them down her long legs. She laughed softly at his attempts. "Sucks trying to pull off wet jeans huh?" She asked and Nick chuckled triumphantly when he finally got them off. She grinned and rolled her head back as Nick's hands slid to her inner thighs and caressed her heated, wet porcelain skin. Riley sucked in a breath as his hand slid across her wet panties, teasing her heat with his light touch.

She felt all her blood rush through her, to her heated core, and he heart beat loudly in her ears. The sensation of simply his touch was amazing, and she bit her lip in anticipation for what would, no doubt, be phenomenal. He slowly pushed her up the bed so that she was resting against the pillows, and she looked down at her feet to see him kick off his jeans, and begin to crawl up her wet body. She smiled at the look of hunger written all over his face and pulled him up the rest of the way, eager to feel him.

He chuckled at her hurriedness and slowly reached behind her to unclasp her violet bra and release her voluptuous breasts. Her straining nipples were soon covered by his mouth, teased by his tongue, and caressed gently against his teeth. She gasped and arched her back in appreciation, only fueling Nick's desires more. His erection was throbbing against her stomach now, and his mouth slid down her body towards her naval again, planting kisses along her skin as he did so. His fingers came to the brim of her panties and he dipped one into her panties slowly, just enough to tease her skin, not enough to _feel_ her. She moaned in desire and squirmed underneath his touch, causing a devious smile to grace Nick's chiseled face. "Patience is a virtue Sweetheart..." He murmured and slid his thumb across the dragonfly tattoo on her front left hip, and placed a soft kiss to it.

"I can guarantee you whoever the hell came up with that wasn't laying on your bed being teased to death...seriously Baby, you're _killin_ me." She moaned throatily and arched her back again. As if on cue he quickly slid the panties off her legs, and wasting no time, she shoved his boxers down and off of his legs. She moaned and gripped his back muscles as she felt his erection press against her. "_Nicky_..._please_..."

Nick's hands slid down her legs all the way to her knees, where he slowly pushed her legs apart and settled in between them. She covered his mouth with her own and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Wait...protection..." Nick murmured into her neck. She groaned.

"If you don't have any I'm gonna be forced to kill you..."

Nick chuckled. "I'm of no use to you then Sweetie."

He commented and reached into his side table drawer and produced a box of condoms. He quickly grabbed a condom from the box and slid it on as she wrapped her arms around his neck again and gasped as he entered her. She threw her head back and moaned, as he slid out, then back in again. _"Nick..." _

She unhooked her arms from his neck and threw them above her head to grip the bottom of the head board on his new bed. Nick sat up on his knees and began filling her from a different angle, receiving an euphoric response. She cried out in pleasure and arched her back, creating a rhythm with her hips to help him along. He grunted in pleasure and slid his hands underneath her back, and lifted her body up and held it against his, still thrusting into her from the new position of her in his lap, but bracing herself above him on her knees. She moaned at the change of position and his quickened pace. "Fuck yeah..._Nicky_..."

He felt the passion between them growing and he released a deep throaty moan, in the form of her name. "_Riley_..." He quickened his pace still, filling her completely with each thrust, and slamming his pelvis into hers. She leaned back and braced herself on her hands as though she were doing the crab-walk, with her legs wrapped around his waist. He gripped her hips tightly and bit his lip to conceal his cries of ecstasy. She moaned again as she rocked her hips in sync with his, until she felt her arms go weak. Sensing this, Nick scooped her up and held her up like he had before, except this time he gently eased her back against the bed and resumed the original position, one that wasn't putting so much stress on her body.

"Nick...I...I..." She moaned, not really knowing what she wanted to say...just needing to say his name. He sat up again and gripped her hips tighter as he felt his climax approaching. He grunted once more and she arched her back, loving the sounds he was making. She began panting as her orgasm approached as well. "_Nick_!" She screamed in pleasure as the waves of her climax washed over her. Nick was soon to follow, gasping as his hit him. He collapsed against her, carefully so as not to squish her. She was panting heavily, and she brought a hand to her sweaty forehead and pushed her hair from her face to keep it from sticking.

"Okay...I was wrong..." Nick picked up his head with much effort to look at her curiously. "...Maybe that _was_ the Olympics..." She replied, a goofy grin plastered on her face. Nick chuckled and rolled off of her, slowly removing himself from her, then discarding the condom into the trash. She sighed in pleasure and snuggled against the bed, pulling him back to her, missing the warmth he provided for her body. He smiled and slid the covers out from underneath her and pulled the thin dark green sheet up to cover her naked body, in true gentleman fashion.

She smiled and snuggled into him as he wrapped his strong arms around her. "Well that was fun." He drawled after a while and she laughed.

"I'll say...we should run through the sprinkler more often..."

A smug grin spread across his face. "I told you..."

**--(blush) tee hee...mucho thanks to my sis for helpin me with that one and plantin dirty ideas in my head—**

Nick stroked the long red hair sprawled out across the pillow next to him and smiled. She was smiling in her sleep, and even though he didn't know what she was dreaming about...he had a feeling their aerobics from earlier had something to do with the goofy grin...although he wasn't one to talk himself...

Her stomach growled in her sleep, and her eyes slowly fluttered open. Nick stroked the hair on her head once more and gently kissed her lips. "Mornin Sugar." He whispered and her smile grew.

"Mornin Darlin'...I'm-"

"Hungry...I know." He finished for her and she raised a brow. "Your stomach was growling."

"Oh...I thought I dreamt that."

Nick shook his head and brought her body closer to his. He kissed her forehead and smiled. "Ya know, we never did eat that soup from earlier...but it's probably no good by now."

"What time is it?"

Nick rolled over and looked at the alarm clock, "Almost five...Yay," He cheered softly. "I don't have to work tonight." He kissed her temple and she chuckled.

"I do."

"Nu uh."

"What?"

"Riley, you just got out of the hospital..."

She smirked. "Didn't stop me from havin sex, ain't gonna stop me from workin."

"C'mon baby, it's my first night of in a long time...take _one_ day of recovery..."

Riley smiled and sighed. "Okay..._only_ because it's your day off...so, what're we gonna do all day?" She asked seductively while trailing her finger along his stubble jaw line. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her.

"Ya know what really sounds amazing...?" He mumbled and kissed the crook of her neck. "...Food." He finished and she grinned from ear to ear.

"It's like you're reading my mind." She professed and Nick laughed.

"Well it isn't that hard...you've always got food on the brain."

"No, its half and half, one half food, the other half is sex."

Nick grinned wildly. "Riley, that is music to _any_ man's ears!" He exclaimed and she laughed. "I'm so lucky to have you all to myself though."

"Well, except for Phil in DC, you share me with him." She joked and Nick shrugged and nodded in agreement.

"Oh yeah, can't forget Phil in DC..."

"And Joshua in Maine..."

"Don't forget Kyle in Tampa." Nick added and she nodded.

"Oh, yep...can't forget Kyle in Tampa. But do you know who my favorite is?" She asked rolling on top of him and nibbling his ear lightly.

"Hmmm?"

She pulled his earlobe between her white teeth and licked it lightly. "Nick in Vegas..." She breathed throatily into his ear and kissed his ear softly. He moaned and rolled her over so that he was on top of her again and was kissing her passionately. She chuckled. "What about dinner?" She murmured against his lips.

"You abandoned that idea when you kissed me..."

"Oh yeah...I forgot your ear was your 'spot'..."

Nick chuckled against her neck. "Liar. You did that on purpose." He accused and continued kissing across her chest. She reached for the box on the nightstand and handed it to him while smiling. He looked up and shook his head, grinning in a purely wily manner. "Uh uh...don't need those for what_ I_ have in mind." Nick growled and ducked underneath the covers.

"Yee haw!" Riley exclaimed and earned a laugh from the man under the sheets.

**--Tee hee...see...they're so cute, they even make sex cute...XD--**

Nick slid into the booth and pulled Riley in next to him and kissed her passionately. She chuckled and pushed him away. "Geez Nick, calm down...you're worse than a convict that escaped from prison and only has one day before he has to go back to prison..."

This caused Nick to stop kissing her neck and laugh. "You give the weirdest analogies..."

She shrugged. "Well, I can't have you getting all excited, so that I have to 'relieve your frustration' in the back of your Denali...I'm hungry...there'll be time for that after I've eaten."

Nick chuckled. "You're like a human garbage dispenser." He replied and she laughed.

"That's why I go Dutch...so you don't go broke." She replied and then furred her brow. "By the way Nick, I have a question, what kind of car do you drive?" She joked and Nick laughed, remembering when he had told her the only occasions on which he went Dutch when she had originally offered to pay for her meal.

He shook his head and looked at the menu. "Shut it lil' lady." He drawled and she laughed. A familiar laugh from across the café caught Nick's attention, and he looked up to see Warrick sitting with the woman he presumed to be Tina. Across from them was Greg and a very uncomfortable looking Catherine. Nick's eyes widened and he pulled the menu up in front of his face.

Riley looked up and saw Nick hiding behind his plastic menu. "What's wrong Nick?"

"Uh...nothing...just uh...they don't have anything I like here. Wanna go somewhere else?" He asked and she furred her brows.

"Nicky, you love this place..."

"Uh...I'm in the mood for Italian." Nick lied and she pointed to the Italian section on the menu. "I meant Chinese."

She raised a brow. "What's goin on Nick?"

He sighed and gestured with his head towards the booth full of familiar people. She looked over at it and shrugged. "So...?"

"I know them." He blurted and winced realizing how that must've sounded. Her face seemed to fall about twenty feet and she looked back towards the table. "I just mean-"

"Whatever, let's go..." She said as though it didn't bother her that he wasn't too happy about people he knew seeing her.

It's not like we're having an affair or anything...so why's he so freaked out about it? She wondered and slid quickly from the booth.

"I'll be in the car." She mumbled and Nick sighed.

"Ry I just meant-"

"Save it Nick, we can talk about this later." She replied and shook her head. She quickly walked out of the café and to the car, leaving Nick in tow. A strong handed landed on his shoulder and Nick nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Geez Nick, relax." A familiar baritone voice chuckled and Nick spun around to see Warrick standing there grinning like a fool. "What's up man...? Greggo, Cath, and I were just catchin some dinner with the Mrs. Wanna join?" Warrick offered and Nick quickly nodded.

"Nah man, I gotta go."

"Why? I heard Griss gave you the day off."

"Yeah...but I uh, I got plans."

Warrick laughed. "With who?" Nick didn't answer. "C'mon man...just some breakfast."

"I'm really tired Rick...I had a tough shift..."

Warrick sighed but nodded. "Alright man...but you can't put off meetin the woman forever." Warrick commented and Nick snapped around, hurting his neck in the process, but too worried to care...how had he found out about Riley? Did Grissom say something? Did Greg? Had they seen them?

"What...?"

Warrick laughed. "You have to meet Tina eventually." Warrick finished. "She's interested in meeting the man who gets himself in so much trouble." Warrick joked, and Nick forced a nervous chuckle.

"Uh...yeah...don't worry man. I'll meet her." He walked back towards the door of the dinner. "I'll see ya tomorrow Rick."

Nick waited till he was sure they were no longer watching him to climb into Riley's borrowed blue pick up truck that she was already sitting in. Nick looked over at her pissed off form looking out the window absently. Either she was clairvoyant or she had seen his reflection in the window, because when Nick went to say something to her she jacked up the volume on the radio so that Fall Out Boy's Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner was blasting from the pick up's sound system. Nick sighed heavily, knowing that through the blasting heavy rock and the fact that she was obviously ignoring him, she wouldn't hear the sigh. With no one to talk to, Nick settled on listening to the lyrics.

_Drink down that Gin and Kerosene,  
And come spit on bridges with me,  
Just to keep us warm.  
Light a match to leave me be.  
Light a match to leave me be. _

I keep my jealousy close,  
'Cause it's all mine.  
And if you say this makes you happy,  
Then I'm not the only one lying.

Nick sighed again and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel absently, and stole a glance at Riley, who was tapping her black and white checker pattern Consoles to the beat of the music.

_Keep quiet,  
Nothing comes as easy as you.  
Can I lay in your bed all day?  
I'll be your best kept secret  
And your biggest mistake.  
The hand behind this pen relives a failure every day. _

I keep my jealousy close,  
'Cause it's all mine.  
And if you say this makes you happy,  
Then I'm not the only one lying.

Nick looked over at Riley and gaped at her, knowing she had put this song on for a reason. He huffed and focused on the road again.

_Drink down that Gin and Kerosene,  
And come spit on bridges with me,  
Just to keep us warm (Just to keep us warm)  
Light a match to leave me be.  
Light a match to leave me..._

_Keep quiet,  
Nothing comes as easy as you.  
Can I lay in your bed all day?  
I'll be your best kept secret  
And your biggest mistake.  
The hand behind this pen relives a failure every day. _

I keep my jealousy close,  
'Cause it's all mine.  
And if you say this makes you happy,  
Then I'm not the only one lying.

_Keep quiet,  
Nothing comes as easy as you.  
Can I lay in your bed all day?  
I'll be your best kept secret  
And your biggest mistake.  
The hand behind this pen relives a failure every day. _

I keep my jealousy close,  
'Cause it's all mine.  
And if you say this makes you happy,  
Then I'm not the only one lying.

_So wear me like a locket around your throat.  
I'll weigh you down.  
I'll watch you choke.  
You look so good in blue.  
You look so good in blue._

Nick huffed and turned off the CD, gaining her attention. "Alright...I get it." He grumbled. "I fucked up." He pulled up to a stop light and looked at her.

She blinked and then nodded. "Yep."

"I'm sorry...but did you have to use Fall Out Boy to get your point across...? You never just stop talking to me..."

"And it pissed you off...but it made you listen." She smiled. "Sometimes word can be over rated...you may need a little steel guitar, mad base, and rock drums to drown out the sound of superficial expressions."

"Who said that, Fall Out Boy, Aristotle?" He guessed.

She rolled her eyes and smirked. "Riley Turner."

"Okay...my turn." He rooted quickly through her the radio stations and smiled when he found what he was looking for. He sat back in the seat and stepped on the gas when he saw the light turn green. The begin instruments to Josh Turner's Your Man filled the pick up.

_Baby lock the door and turn the lights down low  
Put some music on that's soft and slow  
Baby we ain't got no place to go  
I hope you understand _

I've been thinking 'bout this all day long  
Never felt a feeling quite this strong  
I can't believe how much it turns me on  
Just to be your man

Nick grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight and gave her a wink before stepping on the gas and making the truck sped off.

_There's no hurry  
Don't you worry  
We can take our time  
Come a little closer  
Lets go over  
What I had in mind _

Baby lock the door and turn the lights down low  
Put some music on that's soft and slow  
Baby we ain't got no place to go  
I hope you understand

I've been thinking 'bout this all day long  
Never felt a feeling quite this strong  
I can't believe how much it turns me on  
Just to be your man

Nick chuckled as she danced in her seat to the rhythm of the song and shimmed closer to him. He laughed and grabbed the LVPD baseball cap from the floor of the truck and put it on her head. She laughed and leaned onto the shoulder that wasn't attached to the arm steering the car.

_Ain't nobody ever love nobody  
The way that I love you  
We're alone now  
You don't know how  
Long I've wanted to _

Lock the door and turn the lights down low  
Put some music on that's soft and slow  
Baby we ain't got no place to go  
I hope you understand

He slung his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head that was covered by the hat and smiled. She smiled and relaxed against him, propping her foot up on her seat and draping one arm over her knee and holding the hand that was slung around her shoulders with the other.

_I've been thinking 'bout this all day long  
never felt a feeling that was quite this strong  
I can't believe how much it turns me on  
Just to be your man  
I Can't believe how much it turns me on  
Just to be your man_

The song came to an end and Nick smiled. "And I am damn lucky to have you...and share you with the other men." Nick joked and she smiled.

"Nah...I think I'm gonna become a one-man kinda woman."

"Really?" Nick asked in impression. She laughed and nodded. "Who are ya gonna pick?" He laid the accent on real thick as if it would sway her in his direction.

She smiled. "My favorite..."

"And that would be...?" Nick played dumb and she laughed and shook her head. He tightened his grip on her. "C'mon Turner...I wanna hear the words..."

She laughed and turned slightly in her seat. She gave him a seductive grin. "Nick in Vegas..."

He growled in approval and devoured her mouth with a passionate kiss at the first stop light they came to.

**--Okay...I warned y'all about the fluff...—**

_First things first...I OWN NONE OF THOSE SONGS, I DON'T OWN THE SINGERS OR SONGWRITERS (cuz I think that's illegall...) NOR DO I HAVE ANY AFFILIATION WITH THEM OR THEIR REPRESENTATIVES..._

_Alrighty, now...could they _BE_ any cuter!_ _I think not...so...I've spoiled y'all with (hopefully) a good sex scene and lots of fluff...I'd say its time for some DRAMA! (grins at though) XD_

_Review! I'm not gonna threaten y'all with no more chapters because apparently that doesn't work...so...no more reviews...NO MORE SEX SCENES! (bum bum bum) hopefully that won't be a relief to most of you...(aka, I'm making fun of my ability to write sex scenes) XD_

_-Chella Belle (FMCSI60)_


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

_(Two weeks later- June 3 2006) _

"C'mon Babe...wake up." Nick prodded and let his thumb trail over her cheek, the place where the bruise from two weeks ago had been, and now faded. He sighed and shook her shoulder lightly in an effort to wake his sleepy girlfriend. "Come on Sweetheart...we don't have a lot of time."

"Mmm...'fore what?" She drawled lazily and rolled away from him. She was awake, but not willing to leave the soft bed. Nick chuckled and climbed into the bed with her. He rolled her over so that she was facing the ceiling and braced himself on his knees and straddled her hips.

"Before us both have to be into work...its Tuesday which means you're at the Club/bar tonight." He climbed off of her and to the bottom of the bed, allowing her room to move out of the bed. "But first we have to go shopping."

"For shoes?" She asked hopefully and bolted up right in bed. Nick chuckled and picked up her discarded red Manolo Blahniks from the night before. They were rounded toe heels with a strap across the ankle, and 'very shiny'...which was Riley's favorite feature.

"Darlin' I think you have enough shoes."

"No, shoes are like sex...you can never have enough."

"But too much sex can hurt ya...same with shoes."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You only tripped over my shoes _once_...let it go Nicky."

"But I could've broken my neck...or my pelvis...where would you be then? If I'm not in perfect condition you'd have been devastated! Admit it...!" Nick replied theatrically and she shook her head and suppressed a smile.

"Oh don't worry...I think your giant ego would've padded the fall." She commented, lying back down in the bed and stretching like a cat.

"Ooh. Good burn." Nick complimented and she shrugged. "C'mon, get up sleepy head." He yanked her foot from the bottom of the bed. She yelped in surprise and threw her arms back to latch onto something, but not soon enough. She was yanked under the covers that had pooled at the bottom of the bed and Nick crawled under them through the opening at the bottom of the mattress. He laid on top of her naked body and kissed her softly.

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "How about we skip shopping and fool around?" She suggested and Nick chuckled and shook his head. "_Wow_, a man who wants to shop rather than have sex...that's a first."

Nick laughed. "Yeah, I'm amazing like that. I'm just trying to get your beautiful ass outta bed."

"Well this isn't the way to do it."

"You're right." Nick said and slid from underneath the covers and pulled them back, exposing her naked body. She squealed and covered herself, trying to stay warm.

"Ahh! Give me back the sheets!"

"Get dressed and you can have the sheets."

"Screw it, I'll just lay here naked." She replied defiantly and laid back on the bed in all of her naked glory. Nick smiled at all the thoughts swarming his head about what he'd like to do to that naked body, but he pushed them away and pulled on her foot again.

"C'mon." He ordered. "You always get mad that I never take you grocery shopping and I don't get 'the good stuff'" He quoted. "So come on..."

She sighed and crawled out of bed. "Fine." She grumbled like a little kid and Nick laughed. "Just for the record, I don't like you anymore."

"I know...I'm merely your sex toy to be used at your dispense, and worship the very ground you walk on."

"Damn straight." She joked back and Nick laughed.

**--Doo dee doo..._now_ they're at the grocery store shopping...like a couple (Aww!) Told you they're cute...time for drama?--**

"Get the whole grain bread." Riley said.

"Aww...do we have to?" Nick whined.

"It's the healthiest kind Nick."

"Yeah...but I don't like the little grains in it..."

"That's the healthy part."

He sighed but put the bread in the cart. "I'm beginning to think that maybe I should have left you in bed." He grumbled as he pushed the cart along. "And aren't _you _supposed to push the cart?"

She dropped her jaw and scoffed. "I _know_ you're not referring to this situation as though it's my place as a woman to push the cart...my mom rarely _ever _pushes the cart when she and my daddy go shoppin'...besides, if _you_ don't push the cart then you'll run around the isles and fill it with candy and beer..."

"Don't forget the Cheerios." Nick added while grinning from ear to ear. She made a face and shook her head, her red flowing angelic curls being contained merely by his LVPD cap. He smiled at her appearance of a pair of distressed jeans, her trade mark Consoles, a tiny Guns and Roses Tee Shirt and his hat.

"I hate the smell of Cheerios...they smell like pee." She stated seriously and Nick doubled over laughing. "They do!" She defended.

"Is that why you use beer instead of milk?"

"Hell yeah!" She replied and Nick laughed again. "The smell of the beer covers up the smell of the Cheerios."

"_God_ Riley!" Nick laughed as they turned into the nest isle. "Oooh! Grab some fruit roll ups." Nick asked and she laughed.

"And I'm the one whose crazy insane? You're acting like a little kid..."

"I think we both are..." Nick reasoned and Riley nodded.

"Fair enough...how about some Chicken Noodle soup?" She asked and Nick nodded.

"Can we get TV Dinners?" Nick asked, knowing she wasn't real big on cooking and he had been so wiped out from work lately he didn't have the energy to cook. She nodded and Nick picked up enough to last them both for a while.

"Do we have any peanut butter?"

"I don't know...did you eat it all? Cause you know I don't touch the stuff." Nick commented as he tossed a few bags of Oreos into the cart. She laughed at his selections and shook her head.

"How do you stay so fit when all you eat is this junk?" She asked and Nick laughed.

"I think our daily work outs might have something to do with it...which reminds me, we need more Gatorade." Nick grabbed a few large bottles off the cooled shelves and loaded them into the cart. "Do we have milk?"

"I don't know...you know we really should start making lists_ before_ we go shopping." Riley noted and Nick chuckled.

"Well we never have time because it takes you forever to get out of bed in the mornings." Nick joked and Riley shrugged.

"What can I say, your bed is comfy."

"Well...maybe it can be your bed too, if you enjoy it so much..." Nick hinted at the idea that had been swarming his head for a while now. She furred her brows and didn't look up as she continued loading things into the cart.

"Huh?"

Nick sighed and bit his lip. _Man...she can be clueless sometimes...well, maybe that's a good thing...I mean, I haven't even told her I love her yet...yeah, I should probably do that sometime..._

Nick had felt like the fact that he loved her had been his dirty little secret for too long now. Hell, they had been together for almost seven months, not counting their 'ten minute break up' (as Kiersten had deemed it) merely three months into the relationship.

"What'd ya say Baby?" She asked and Nick shook his head.

"Just more jokes about your laziness." He lied and she stuck her tongue out at him playfully. Nick chuckled lightly, his suggestion of her moving in with him, that seemed to go over her head, had gotten him down slightly. This also had gone over her head, for which Nick was thankful for, and Nick tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Hey..." She began and grabbed his hand as he went for the cart. She laced fingers with him and pulled him closer to her. "You okay? You look like someone just ran over your puppy."

Nick gave a soft, half hearted smile, and nodded. "Yeah, I just got real tired all of the sudden." Nick lied and Riley smiled at him and nudged his shoulder.

"Well wake up, you've got bad guys to catch in less than two hours." She said looking at her watch. Nick chuckled and brought his free hand to the railing of the metal basket of the cart, then released her hand to do the same thing on the other side of her body, trapping her in between his arms, his body, and the cart. Nick grinned like a Cheshire cat and rubbed his body into hers. She laughed and shook her head. "You seemed pretty awake now Cowboy..."

"Right back at ya Cowgirl..." Nick growled, letting his accent come in full swing as he brushed his lips lightly over hers. She captured his lips with hers and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his body closer despite the fact that they were in the middle of the frozen food section at a local super market.

"Aww, what a sweet Southern pair we make." Riley drawled when Nick finally pulled away.

"I'll say." Came a familiar voice from behind Nick. Nick spun around and felt a blush come over his face.

"Griss...hey." He greeted nervously and cleared his throat. "What uh...what're ya doin here?" Nick shifted nervously of having been caught making out with his girl friend in the middle of the isle.

Grissom tried to suppress a smile as he gestured to his basket. "Same as you, shopping...except my basket didn't come with a pretty red head." Grissom joked and Riley blushed.

"Nice to see ya Mr. Grissom." She gave a slight wave and Grissom nodded.

"Nice to see you too. And please, call me Gil." He gave a pointed look at Nick. "Don't be late for work...again." He tried to hide his smile as he walked off down the isle, when he was gone, Riley released a nervous chuckle.

"Well he kinda intimidates the Hell outta ya don't he?" She drawled and Nick laughed.

"You kinda get used to it..."

"We should go check out." She changed the subject and began pushing the cart down the isle.

Nick scoffed playfully, "Yeah, that's right. Know your place woman." Nick joked in a husky voice, earning himself a punch in the shoulder from his girlfriend. "Oww...alright I get it, _I get it_, no need to get violent." Nick drawled and she shook her head.

"Don't call me 'woman'." She said while smirking. Nick rubbed his shoulder where she had punched him and grimaced.

"That hurt." He whined and she turned to give him a soft pout.

"Sorry Hon."

Nick gave a mock pout and frowned. "I don't like you anymore."

She smiled and stopped the cart so that she could turn to face him. Her lips traveled passed his lips, and her teeth connected with his ear lobe. When she pulled at the soft flesh Nick groaned and brought her body close to his own. "Yes you do..." She growled seductively and Nick smirked and closed his eyes as she began nibbling and kissing his ear. "In fact...I _know_ you do." She chuckled, referring to his evident manhood rising against her stomach.

Nick chuckled and let one hand graze up her side, then onto her hand, up her arm, across her shoulder and then to the nape of her neck. His fingers dribbled flippantly across it, playing with the small pieces of hair and soft skin as he did so, and down the bones of her spine, till his hand settled on the small of her back. She smiled deviously at him and traced a finger along his jaw line. "Think if we hurry we can uh...?" She waggled her eyebrows and Nick smiled.

"Oh yeah...but we may have to pull a little bit of Nascar drivin Sweetheart."

"Yee Haw!" She cheered. "And until then, think of old grandmas swimming in a kiddy pool, in frilly two piece bikinis." She replied in an attempt to hide her boyfriend's extremely evident erection.

Nick shivered and made a gagging noise as she laughed and hurriedly pushed the cart to a counter so they could check out of the grocery store.

**--Tee hee...they're horney little rabbits aren't they? XD Don't ya just love 'em...(answer: of course!)—**

Nick raced down the halls of the Las Vegas Crime Lab and almost bumped into several lab techs and fellow CSIs on the way. "Sorry!" He apologized as he hurried down the halls, hell bent on not being late _again_.

He slid into the break room and panted for breath. "Sorry I'm late!" He apologized, and furred his brow when he realized it was only Catherine and Greg in the room.

"Geez Nicky, where's the fire?" Catherine asked while flipping through her magazine.

"Where is everybody?" Nick asked.

"Griss is still a no-show, Rick called in to say he's stuck in traffic, and Sara never left the lay out room..."

Nick sighed and doubled over, resting his hands on his knees, and trying to catch his labored breath. "So what had you runnin so fast?" Greg asked, a smirk appearing on his knowing face.

Nick shook his head. "Just...woke up late and hurried to make it in on time." Nick lied...he'd been doing a lot of that lately. He realized that it was only to cover up the fact that he had been secretly dating a woman he was crazy about (Hell, he down right loved her) for nearly seven months now, and the only people who knew for sure were Grissom and Greg. Though all they knew was that he was dating her...and that she was a redhead.

Nick sighed and plopped down into an empty chair at the break room table and waited for his heart rate to slow down...it hadn't fully returned to normal after he and Riley had fooled around, but they had caught sight of the time and had no other choice than to haul ass to work...while each of them was still '_frustrated_'. Nick picked up a 'Car and Driver' magazine to distract himself from thoughts of Riley.

A few minutes late Grissom wandered into the room, file in hand. He looked around and noticed they were still short two members. "Where are Warrick and Sara?"

"Whew! Sorry guys! Traffic was a bitch." Warrick cursed and slumped onto the sofa next to Greg. "What's up Griss? Any new cases?"

"We can discuss that when Sara gets here."

"Where is she?"

"Here!" Sara called and wandered in, a big grin on her face. "Yes! Twenty straight hours of working and I finally got a break in the case! Go me!" Sara cheered energetically. Grissom looked at the younger woman as though she was completely insane...Nick tried to keep the smile off is face, knowing what that look really meant...he loves her.

"Sara, how many cups of coffee have you had?" Grissom asked while gesturing with his glasses. Sara looked at him innocently.

"Only about six cups or so..." She looked around. "So I'm gonna run with this? Okay! Is that cool?" She asked excitedly, and Grissom closed his eyes and shook his head, already on overload from her hyperactivity.

"Yeah...just...just go." He begged and she smiled.

"Great! I'll call Brass!" She smiled and took off down the hall, while everyone snickered at the stressed out look on Grissom's face.

"Alright...Las Vegas is behaving tonight...one case, a 410 out by Desert Palms...a Sedan and a Ford pick up...head on collision." Grissom said and Nick's head snapped up.

_Ford pick up...desert palms...410...that's a reckless driver...oh God...no not again!_

Nick's mind screamed and he tried to calm his racing heart and think logically as Grissom continued.

"Cath, you and Greg are on this one. Warrick, you and Nick are back on the Pin-up Rapes...get to work." Grissom ordered, and with that he left the team, minus Sara, in the break room. Nick practically bolted from the table and went into the secluded hallway where he could fret in privacy, once there, Nick automatically whipped out his cell phone and hit speed dial 1.

"Nick...hey, what's wrong?" Greg asked concerned at the pallor look on his face.

Nick ignored him as his heart fell a little more with each unanswered ring. _God Ry...please...please, please pick up the damn phone..._ He pleaded internally and felt his heart sink completely when her voice mail picked up. The familiar drawl of the answering machine was lost on Nick's worried ears.

"Hello...? Hello?"

Nick felt his heart stop. "R-R-Riley?" Nick's voice cracked as he struggled to blink back tears that had formed when he thought she had been hurt again.

"Nick? Why are you callin me at work? Is somethin wrong?" Riley asked, trying to keep her tone from being harsh towards her boyfriend.

"Are...you're okay? Where are you?"

She sighed. "I just told you, I'm at work...Nick what's wrong?"

"Riley, is there an accident outside the hospital?"

"Uh yeah, in fact we're swamped with people in the accident...Nicky I've gotta go, so uh...I kinda need ya to get to the point." She drawled.

Nick sighed. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Okay...that was nice...random, but nice. So everything's okay?"

Nick blew out a breath of relief at the thought of her safely working in the hospital. He put his hand on his hip and looked up towards the ceiling, silently thanking God again that it hadn't been her in the accident. "Yeah...yeah I just wanted to make sure you get into work safely."

He could practically hear her grinning on the other end of the phone. "Well I'm fine Babe, but I have to go. I'll see ya after work. Bye."

"Bye." He said and they hung up, he sighed and turned around to see Greg arching an eyebrow.

"Want me to tell her you love her when I get there?" Greg teased, grinning like a fool.

Nick pointed a finger at him warningly. "You stay away from her when you get there...and keep your trap shut Sanders." Nick ordered while chuckling lightly. Greg beamed at him.

"Hey, I can't help it if my work happens to cross paths with your girlfriend." A sly smile came across Greg's face. "You're just worried that she'll meet me, fall victim to my charms, and then she'll choose me over you."

Nick laughed. "Your charms isn't the thing I'm worried about her falling victim to around you."

Greg rolled his eyes. "Ha ha...let's see if you're so optimistic after you've lost your woman to me."

Nick laughed again. "Yeah, I really don't see that happening Greg...but nice try."

**--Be honest, how many of you thought I put Riley in_ another_ accident? Lol, nah I wouldn't do that, I'm not that mean...--**

Nick sighed and ran a tried hand through his shaggy hair and blew out a frustrated breath. The horrid photos of the deceased female bodies the Pin-up Rapist had left behind floated in front of him, burning their details and appearances into his brain and corneas so that even if he closed his eyes, he couldn't escape the grisly images.

He sat back and pressed his fingers against his eyes, trying to rub the images away. "Nicky?" Grissom's voice came from the doorway. Nick removed his hand from his face and sat up straight in the chair, taking on a more professional, less stressed, appearance.

"Hey Griss, what's up?"

"How far have you come on the Pin-up case?"

Nick sighed and closed the file. "Not far."

"Alright, go home, get some rest, and come back refreshed for next shift." Grissom proposed and Nick furred his brow and shook hid head.

"What?"

"Go home Nick. You can't get any farther on this. We'll have to wait till He gives us more to work with..."

Nick looked at the older man he so often venerated...now wasn't one of those times. "You mean another victim."

Grissom shook his head slightly. "If that's all we have..."

Nick stood out of his chair and looked at Grissom in pure disgust. "No...no, I'm not gonna sit at home and do nothing but wait for this sick bastard to rape, torture, and murder _another_ innocent girl when there's something I can do about it." Nick replied, anger and twang rising with every word.

"But that's the thing Nick; there isn't anything you can do. We have nothing to go on, we're at a dead end...there isn't anything left."

"No, Grissom...you're always sayin if we study his past we can predict his future. Well...I can at least study his past. That's something I can do." Nick answered, more to convince himself rather than Grissom.

Grissom sighed and stepped completely into the room. "Nick, there is no past. There is no evidence. There is nothing left to go on. All we know...is that he's already chosen his next victim..."

Nick clenched his jaw and looked away. "And all we can do is wait." Nick said softly, finally coming to grips with the fact that there was nothing left that he could do. Grissom looked down and nodded. Nick shook his head, dragging his gaze back to Grissom. "That's not good enough."

And with that he pushed passed Grissom and walked down the hall. Grissom turned to watch him go, no more a yard or so away, Grissom's voice echoed into Nick's ears. "Let it go Nicky. Drop the case for now...we're at a dead end."

Nick whipped around. "What's with you?" Grissom simply stared. "You've never really had a heart when it came to cases, but this is a whole new level of cruel, even for you." Nick whispered harshly as he turned off down the hall and out the front doors, leaving everything but his car keys and ID in the building.

**--Yep...I know...kinda depressing...and dark...and disturbing. Poor Nicky...so what's gonna happen next? I have no idea...I'll know when I write it.--**

_So...what'd ya think? Hmm...maybe you should drop me a review and let me know..._

_-Chella Belle_


	19. Chapter 19

_Alright, I don't own Gretchen Wilson or any of her songs, I don't own Greg or Nick, but I own everyone else...including Pamela. _

**Chapter 19**

Nick sat at the grimy bar, wallowing in his own self pity...and he felt like shit for it. Six innocent girls had lost their lives, and Nick was here feeling sorry for himself, just because he couldn't do anything to help them. Was that selfish? He sighed and clenched his chiseled jaw tighter as he wrapped his fingers around the bottle of Doppelbock and tried to ignore the burning sensation in the pit of his stomach. Whether it was from the beer, the case, or the fact that an attractive blonde had been trying to make eye contact with him for the past twenty minutes, he wasn't sure; but he knew that it wasn't a good combination.

He dropped his head to stare down the neck of the bottle to the medial amount of beer left from his Bock and sighed. A flash of sequins to his right caught his eye, and he looked over to see that the blonde had now moved across the bar and was sitting next to him.

"Hey Darling, you look like you could use a little cheering up." The blonde noted, her accent rolling sweetly off her lips. Her accent was ambiguous; it seemed to be a combination of everything with a hint of British class. Nick didn't reply, he simply gave a soft sigh and hung his head lower. "Need to get something off your chest?"

"I usually go somewhere else for that." Nick hinted, giving her the wrong impression. She flipped her long golden curls off her shoulder and smiled as she adjusted her stool closer to his.

"Well how about another kind of release?" She asked seductively, and Nick chuckled dryly.

"I go to my girlfriend for that too." Nick drawled, his accent extremely thick from the high alcohol content, and she laughed.

"Well...she obviously isn't doing too good a job, or a handsome man like yourself wouldn't be sitting at a bar looking more down than a pair of shoes on someone's feet."

The comparison to shoes reminded him instantly of Riley. "She's great...amazing." Nick defended the woman he loved and shook his head before taking a long swig of beer.

The blonde chuckled. "Well, if she's so great and amazing why aren't you with her now?"

Nick didn't answer, only took another sip of beer. Truth was he couldn't answer...the only reason he wasn't with Riley right at this very moment was because he was sitting at a run down bar doing his best to ignore a blonde whom he had absolutely no interest in.

"Silence...an answer all its own. Come on Cowboy; let me buy you a drink." She offered and Nick scrunched up his face at the mention of Riley's nickname for him.

"No thanks."

"So how about we dance...or something more physical." She hinted and scooted a little closer to him.

"I'm not interested." Nick replied. It was short, bitter, and to the point. He didn't bother sugar coating it with 'I'm sorry but...' or 'You're a real attractive woman but...' because none of them were true. He didn't feel sorry for turning away the woman and leaving with no more than the grace of the money for his drink on the counter, and the sight of him walking away. He kept his ears closed, eyes opened, and mind focused on getting home, then seeing Riley.

He pulled his keys from his pocket, but when he realized how much alcohol he'd consumed he slid them back in his pocket. He pulled out his cell and called a taxi company (a number he'd memorized by heart from his playboy days) and called for one to pick him up. After he was done Nick hung up his phone and leaned against the side of the building, praying the taxi would get here sooner.

**--LOL, how many of you were worried that I was gonna make Nicky cheat on Riley...? Nope, I wouldn't do that to him...cuz then she'd have to kick his ass and that might damage his ego--**

A strong smell of alcohol flooded Riley's nostrils as she slowly regained consciousness. She shifted and suddenly felt the dead weight of a heavy arm slung across her waist, pinning her to her mattress. She grunted as she rolled over to face the owner of the arm that held her in place. She frowned when she smelt the beer that was still evident on his clothes and breath, mixing into the air as he breathed.

She frowned and pushed the bangs out of his face, letting her hand linger on his forehead, before trailing down and settling on his cheek. His breathing hitched and his face twitched as he rolled slightly and sighed. She grimaced at the smell of beer and scoffed as she rolled away from him, and tried to maneuver his arm off of her. She grunted as she struggled against the dead weight, and then sighed as the arm flexed, and pulled her back towards his body to cuddle with her.

She chuckled and rolled over, realizing she wasn't going to get away from him anytime soon, she decided to have a little fun with him until he released her. She lay on her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows as she grabbed a thick strand of red hair, and tickled his nose with it. He scrunched up his face and brushed the pesky annoyance away with the hand that wasn't embracing her and she rolled her eyes and tried to formulate another plan to get free. She smiled and bent down next to his ear and nibbled on it lightly, working her magic to awaken him.

He released a soft moan and rolled onto his stomach, pinning her underneath him as he kissed her neck. She wasn't quite sure if he was awake or not...but he was definitely ready. She chuckled and pushed him off her as his eyes began to flutter open. He moaned in protest and rolled over on his back, his hands immediately flying to shield his eyes from the sunlight beginning to pour in through the slits of her blinds.

"Mmm...turn out the light." He drawled and she chuckled.

"The lights off..." He moaned again. "Bad hangover?"

"Yep, and now I'm '_frustrated_' and I don't know why..." Nick complained and she bit her lip to conceal her laughter.

"Well, maybe that's a side effect from getting drunk off your ass last night."

"Tough case." Nick mumbled and Riley sighed and rolled her eyes.

"That's why you come to me...not the bottle..."

"Tough case." Nick repeated.

"What's wrong Nicky...why didn't you come see me last night if you had a hard case?" Nick sighed and didn't answer. "Nick..."

"It's nothing Riley. Everyone has a bad day every now and then. Just lay off." He snapped and she narrowed her eyes, but forced herself to relax, knowing he was just suffering from a bad hangover.

"Well, you know I'd like it if you came to me instead of going to some bar...what bar did you go to anyway?"

Nick sighed and worked his jaw. "I don't remember."

He felt the bed shift as she climbed off it and went into her bathroom to get Tylenol for him. She reappeared with the medicine and handed him her water bottle from her nightstand. Nick gratefully accepted them and popped the pills in his mouth and washed them down with the water. He sighed and leaned his head back against the head board. "...what'd you have to drink?"

"I don't remember."

"How much did you have to drink?"

"I don't remember Riley!" Nick snapped and opened his eyes to glare at her. "I don't remember anything about last night so just lay off!" He ordered and Riley clenched her jaw. She shook her head, chuckled dryly, and climbed off the bed. Nick groaned and rolled his eyes, despite the pain and every fiber in his body begging him not to. "Don't get all bitchy...come on Riley..." He begged half heartedly as she threw on a pair of jeans and clean T-shirt. "_Riley_." He said more harshly and she bit back the urge to back hand him from his disrespectful tone.

"Go back to bed." She spat and purposely slammed the door, making the loud noise and reverberations cause Nick a tiny bit more pain because of his hangover. Nick moaned and laid back against the bed, making a mental note to never drink whatever the Hell he drank last night (hopefully he'd remember what he drank later...), and buy Riley some white Casablanca lilies...her favorite.

**--(sigh) so yeah, Nick was being kind of a bitch...but hey, we still love him right! XD (nods vigorously)--**

Nick wandered down the stairs of Riley's house almost five hours later and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He looked around the living room in search of her, but only found her many room mates and several other of her friends. "Where's Riley?" Nick asked.

"You look like shit."

"Thank you Porsche." Nick sighed. "Where's Riley?" He repeated and Shaun looked over at him.

"Went shopping with Emma and Kiersten, that's not a good sign man, means she's pissed off...what'd you do?" Shaun asked while smiling with curiosity.

"Wait, Emma was here?" Porsche asked confused and Thomas nodded.

"Yeah, she was here about two hours before you got here."

Porsche sighed in aggravation. "C'mon Nick, we're goin to find them." She replied and motioned for him to follow her out the door. Nick looked over at Jon in worry, who laughed at the thought of driving with the Nascar Queen.

"I suggest you buckle in and hold on tight Nick." Jon advised while the other men laughed at the worried look on Nick's face.

**--So...yeah...insert stupid bar thingy here... (I'm runnin out of things to say...) Shocking! XD—**

Nick practically jumped out of Porsche's Jeep Wrangler when it came to a stop. "Jesus Christ Porsch! They invented the speed limit so you'd abide by it!" Nick informed her while virtually kissing the beloved ground. "I work with the police; I'll get in deep shit if I'm caught in a speeding fiasco."

"Well you should have thought about that before you got in the car!" Porsche yelled back and Nick looked at her in fear.

"I didn't have a choice. You scare the shit outta me!" Nick exclaimed honestly and she laughed.

"Yeah...I tend to do that to guys...that's why I became a lesbian...that and the fact that my mommy said I could be anything I wanted to be..." Nick looked at her with an amused expression on his face. She cracked a smile then shook her head, "C'mon, let's go find our women."

Nick laughed and shook his head. "You're too much Porsche."

"I know...that's why I have so many friends to keep me in check."

Nick laughed as they entered the local shoe store (figuring that'd be the first place to look for Riley), and searched the people for his red head. He split away from Porsche and wandered around the isles in search of her, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around hoping it'd be Riley, but his heart fell when he laid his eyes on the blonde from last night. She grinned seductively and winked. "Did you track me down Cowboy?"

Nick sighed and shook his head. "Miss, I'm looking for my girlfriend."

She stared at him in amusement and disbelief. "Ah, the one who can always run to...if you can find her." She joked and Nick took a claming breath and closed his eyes.

"Excuse me." He mumbled and walked away from her in a now desperate search of Riley. He felt another tap on his shoulder and he prayed to God it'd be Riley. When he turned around he sighed agitated. "Listen, Miss, please stop. I'm not interested."

She rolled her eyes. "Geez, I can't talk to you for a minute?"

He sighed again. "Miss I'm-"

"Pamela. Pamela Daniels."

"Miss Daniels, I'm looking for my girlfriend, I can't talk right now."

She smiled. "I knew we should have made time to talk last night...if your girlfriend is so amazing why wasn't she there when you obviously needed her last night and then again today? One thing is for sure, if you were mine, I'd never let you out of my sight." She said sweetly and Nick had to bite his tongue to keep from replying with a snarky remark.

"Imagine that." He grumbled and looked around desperately for any sign of Riley, Kiersten, Emma, or Porsche...someone to bail him out of this. Suddenly an idea formed in his head.

"Come on Cowboy, I can take you out and show you just how well you should be treated-"

"I'm gay." Nick blurted and she smiled.

"No you're not."

"Yes. I am. I'm _extremely_ gay." He pulled out his phone and showed her a picture of Greg that he had saved one particularly bored day at the lab. "This is my boyfriend, Greg." The blonde's face fell and Nick kept up the charade. "I made up having a girlfriend because my boyfriend and I got into a fight last night and I didn't want to have to go into details...it seemed like an easy solution." Nick lied and the blonde nodded sympathetically and laid a supportive hand on his arm.

"I understand. I'm sorry."

"Nick?" Came a familiar southern drawl form behind Nick.

_Oh Holy Fuck, God has something against me today..._

He turned around to see Riley, Kiersten, and Emma standing about ten feet away from him. "Nick? What're you doin here?" Riley asked and started towards him slowly.

"Riley...I-"

"Don't waste your time Darling." The blonde informed Riley, who arched an orange brow.

"Who are you?"

"Pamela Daniels." She replied and stuck out her hand, Riley looked at it as though shaking hands was a completely foreign concept. "I met him last night."

"At the bar?" Riley asked narrowing her gaze. Kiersten and Emma exchanged 'oh shit' looks behind her and Riley glared at Nick.

"Riley! Baby, it's not what you think."

"'Baby'? What about your boyfriend?" Pamela asked and Nick sighed heavily...this was one major shit sit as Riley would it.

"Boyfriend!" Riley, Kiersten, and Emma exclaimed in unison.

"Yeah, real cutie. He's got a picture in his phone." The over informative blonde announced.

Riley looked at Nick worriedly and Kiersten chuckled behind her. "Well, at least Sal and Thomas will be happy." Riley shot her a death glare, then turned back and aimed it at Nick.

"Riley, Hon, you don't understand."

"Well you've got about two minutes to help me understand."

"I went to the bar and apparently met her last night-"

"Well, you seemed to remember that pretty well." Riley snapped and Nick sighed.

"Seeing her brought it all back." Nick gestured to the blonde behind him. "I promise Baby, nothing happened."

"So wait, you're not gay?" The clueless blonde questioned.

"Uh no, very far from it." Riley answered for him.

"So why did you say you were?"

"Because you're relentless!" Nick explained, beginning to get annoyed with the situation. "Look, Miss Daniels," Nick gestured to Riley. "This is my girlfriend-"

Riley scoffed and shook her head wondering if that would still be a true statement when the conversation was through.

"I lied when I said I was gay. You weren't takin 'no' as an answer, so I lied...which worked." He turned to Riley. "I promise, absolutely nothing happened. After I went to the bar I went straight to you." Nick promised and Riley shuffled her feet and looked down unsurely. That had been the same thing Deven had said...

"So if you're not gay then you're available." Pamela stated and Emma looked at her in irritation.

"No you ditz! _This_ is his girlfriend." She pointed to Riley.

"Thank you Emma, a simple 'no' would've been good though." Riley said, a hint of a smile on her face from the Jersey girl's blunt and cute nature.

"And there's no chance of 'us'?" She pouted and Nick looked at her in shock.

"What 'us'!" He yelled in annoyance.

"There could be an 'us'."

"Uh, no. Not while there's an 'us'." Riley replied gesturing between Nick and herself.

"Riley, I promise I would never ever do anything to compromise what we have. I swear..." Nick vowed.

"Well I don't know Nick, you just...you seem different lately."

"Maybe it's because you're growing apart." Pamela offered.

"Cookie, give it a rest." Riley ordered and shook her head.

"My name is Pamela."

But they ignored her as Nick continued. "I know, and I'm sorry. I just...I've been stressed at work. Ry, I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier. I shouldn't have said you were being bitchy when you were just trying to find out what was wrong...I've just been having a bad week."

"No Nick, it's deeper than that. There's something else that's wrong and I don't know why you won't open up to me..." Riley replied and Nick bit his lip and looked down. He had to be a really closed book to make her voice this kind of feeling. In all their seven months of dating she had never pushed him to talk about anything...so he must've been really pathetic and closed off for her to even mention it.

"Maybe he needs someone he's more comfortable with." Pamela suggested.

"Oh no she didn't!" Kiersten exclaimed and Emma's jaw dropped.

"Listen Pandora-" Riley began.

"Pamela." She corrected and Riley barely blinked.

"Look Paprika, take it somewhere else or we can take it outside." Riley drawled. "And I maybe a Christian, but if you keep it up, I'm gonna kick your pretty little butt." Riley drawled, remembering the lyrics from Gretchen Wilson's Homewrecker.

Pamela glared and turned on her heel out the door.

Nick chuckled as he watched her go and turned back to Riley and the two smiling women behind her. "Man, it takes _one _pissed of Redneck woman to end up quotin Gretchen Wilson when someone's hittin on her man."

"You're still not forgiven." Riley said flatly.

"Right." Nick replied hurriedly and took her hand that wasn't holding a few boxes of shoes and brought it up to his chest. "I'm sorry Riley...I just...it's hard to talk about some things."

"Alright, so don't start out with those things..." Riley shrugged. "Start with how your day was. A simple 'my day sucked major ass' is enough...or 'I had a kick ass day'...then ease yourself into it...even if its just the basics...I'm not askin for a lot here Baby, but ya gotta give me somethin."

Nick sighed and hung his head, and Riley set down her shoe boxes, and cupped his cheek with her other hand. "I like you Nicky...I don't wanna have to beat how your day was outta ya." Riley joked lightly and Nick cracked a smile and leaned in to softly capture her lips with his own.

"Emma! There you are!" Porsche exclaimed and began towards the foursome. Riley and Nick broke apart and watched the scene unfold. "I've been looking for you."

"_You've_ been looking for_ me_!" Emma exclaimed and shook her head. "Where were you last night Porsche?"

It was Nick and Riley's turn to exchange the 'oh shit' look, while Kiersten shifted uncomfortably, being the one caught in between the two riffled brunettes.

"Uh...uh I..."

"Porsche, were you with Brittany?" Emma asked, biting back the tears threatening to fall. Riley looked between her newest friend and her cousin and sighed. She had been in this conversation before, and it sucked...she only prayed the results on them were less heartbreaking than they had been on her relationship.

Porsche hung her head and didn't answer. "Porsche...were you with her?" Emma forced the words out and Porsche sighed.

"Yeah...I was."

Emma closed her eyes and sighed. She reached for the necklace around her neck that Porsche had given her and unhooked it from her neck and handed it back to Porsche. "Give it to Brittany...I'm sure she'd appreciate it a lot." Emma spat, and turned on her heel and left. Kiersten ran after her, and Riley was torn between going after her friend, and staying with her cousin. Porsche looked up at the red head.

Neither of the girls said anything, both looked to the ground and sighed. Finally Riley spoke. "You fucked up."

"Yep...again." Porsche noted.

"I hope you can make it up to her in a way other than sex...because I have a feeling she's gonna be the one girl to not forgive you..." Riley explained and Porsche sighed again and nodded.

"Any ideas?"

"You can start with 'I'm sorry'." Nick offered and Porsche looked at him, then to Riley and nodded.

"Do you think she hates me?"

Riley shook her head. "No...but I don't think you're her most favorite person in the world right now..."

Porsche sighed. "How long should I wait before I talk to her?"

"Give her a few hours to calm down, then go talk to her. And whatever you do...stay away from Brittany." Riley warned and Porsche sighed.

"This blows."

**--Bum bum bum...I promise, that scene is of importance to the book...you'll just have to wait a little while to find out why--**

_So...yeah...I have to end the chapter here... (Sigh) not that this has anything to do with my book...but I just read this other book...and I'll tell ya I AM SOOOO DEPRESSED! It was soooo sad...I can't bring myself to write a happy chapter...so fair warning, next chapter will be full 'o drama!_

_-Depressed Futuremisscsi60 :(_


	20. Chapter 20

_Alright, like I said, prepare for drama. This is one of my shorter chapters and it'll carry on into the next chappy...I love keeping y'all hangin ob the edge! XD_

_And regarding the last chapter, the woman that continuously hit on Nick was not Sofia. I had a few people ask about it, and she just happened to bare a few resemblances to Sofia. But no, it wasn't her...just thought I'd clear that up. _

_BTW, I own Paige, Kiersten, Riley, everyone mentioned on dayshift (cause I made up the names), and that's it...everyone else belongs to other people...(that'd be Jerry and Anthony)...but if they wanna lend me George Eads for my birthday...I'd be totally okay with that XD!_

**Chapter 20**

_(Two weeks later) _

"419, female, out on 3622 Desert Way in Henderson...sexual assault...looks like Pin-up's back." The officer on the other end of the scanner informed the break room. Each CSI from Dayshift dragged their gazes up to the Dayshift Supervisor, Brianna Millers, in question as of what to do. Brianna sighed and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table while placing a fist under her chin.

He was quiet for a long while, leaving everyone unsure how to respond to the newest death thanks to the Pin-up Rapist. "Brianna...what do we do?" Julia Frees questioned, making her close her eyes and sigh.

"Call in CSI Nightshift."

**--He's baaaaaack...bum bum bum!—**

Something loud and annoying was ringing in Nick's ear...it was too shrill to be his alarm clock, too constant to be someone's voice, and too annoying for Nick's liking. He moaned and rolled over, extending his arm in search of the annoying noise. He groped around the nightstand, coming up empty.

"Mmmm..." Riley moaned in protest. "Make it stop." She mumbled and snuggled in further to the bed. Nick sighed and opened his eyes to aid him in finding the pesky otic assailant. He sighed and reached around on the floor, and opened his phone.

"Stokes." He mumbled tiredly.

"Nicky? It's Catherine." She sighed tiredly. "Grissom's callin everyone in...Pin-up is back..." She admitted reluctantly and Nick bolted upright in bed, startling Riley enough to make her yelp and Nick reached behind him and covered her mouth. She let out a 'humph' against his hand and rolled her eyes.

"Where?" Nick asked.

"Henderson."

Nick turned to look at Riley and made a motion for her to get him a pen and paper. She sighed softly and rolled over to the other nightstand and pulled the Legal Notepad off the top, and found a pen in the drawer. Nick jotted down the address and hung up with Catherine. He looked at Riley reluctantly and she sighed.

"Work." She said for him and nodded. "Go."

He sighed. "I don't have much of a choice."

"That's why I'm being such a good sport about it..." She murmured and rolled over onto her stomach and Nick sighed. He knew she was more disappointed than she was letting on, and that bothered him. He rolled over so that he was lying on top of her and he kissed her shoulder.

"I'll see you after work Hon..."

"No you won't, _I'll _be at work." She mumbled, not opening her eyes and Nick sighed.

"Alright...well...I'll see you when I see you." He replied, not yet climbing off of her. A few moments later she opened one eye and turned her head to look at him. She rolled underneath him so that they were now face to face. She brought a hand up to his cheek and caressed it softly with her thumb.

"What?" She whispered and Nick smiled softly.

"I love you." He answered and waited for her reaction...that never came. She simply laid there and stared at him, her mouth hanging slightly open, an unreadable expression on her face. After a few minutes she closed her mouth and looked away, while swallowing thickly. She sucked her lips into her mouth and inhaled deeply, as if he had just told her the equation to solving infinity and the fate of the world rested on her response.

Nick felt his heart fall further and further with each passing minute of silence. He finally pulled away from her and began getting dressed silently, trying not to let the disappointment show on his face. She sat up in his bed and kept the sheet up around her chest to shield her bare body from the room. She watched silently as Nick got dressed and left his room without so much as a goodbye. She looked away from the door he had exited and sighed softly when she heard the front door close.

"...Well that couldn't have gone any worse." She said to no one and fell back against the bed and massaged her temples. Those three little words used commonly every day had sent her brain on overload. She felt a shiver run through her body for no apparent reason and pulled her hands away from her head and opened her eyes to stare at the ceiling absently. She felt a shiver run up her spine once again for, yet again, another ambiguous reason...she felt as though everyone had just seen her break her boyfriend's heart and was now laughing at them both...

She groaned and grabbed her cell phone from the bedside table and hit speed dial 2. Kiersten answered immediately. "Hello?" She drawled and Riley sighed.

"I fucked up."

"Riley?"

"I fucked up big time."

"What happened?"

"Three God Damn words happened that's what!" She exclaimed and threw the pillow against the wall in anger.

"_Okay_...that doesn't help much Chica..."

"Remember when Deven and I were dating-"

"Nope. I completely forgot five years of our entire lives..."

Riley rolled her eyes. "Do you remember how I reacted when he told me he loved me?"

"Uh yes, I believe you ignored him..." Kiersten recalled, chuckling slightly at the memory. Riley sighed again. "What does Deven have to do with you fucking up...?"

Silence.

"Riley?"

"Yeah."

"What happened? I thought you were with Nick...why aren't the two of you asleep?"

"He got called into work."

"So how does him getting called into work mean you fucked up? What'd you kill somebody?"

Riley rolled her eyes. "_No_..."

"I thought things were cool with you two...y'all are sickeningly happy...did y'all loose the heat?"

Riley laughed dryly. "No..._Hell _no...loosing passion and lust is the least of our worries."

"So what's up...if y'all are still in that 'fuckin constantly' 'gotta-have-you-now' phase what's wrong?"

Riley sighed and brought her hand to her forehead tiredly...it was really too early in the morning for this. "He said the 'L' word."

"Oh God...please tell me you mean lesbians."

"I wish I did..."

"...What'd you say?"

Silence.

"What'd you say Riley?"

"I just told you."

It took Kiersten a minute but she finally got what her best friend was saying. "You ignored_ him_ _too_!"

"It's not like I changed the topic or anything like I did with Deven." Riley defended.

"Well its just as bad...tell me what happened. Walk me through it."

Riley sighed and sat up in the bed, drawing her knees to her chest, pressing the cool blue sheets against her skin. "Well...I was asleep in his arms, then his phone starts ringing and its someone from work. So...we were laying there after he hung up and...and he smiled and I asked him 'what' and...and he...said _it_."

Kiersten sighed and Riley heard her close a door, probably for privacy. "What next?"

"Nothing...we just stared at each other for like five minutes before he crawled outta bed, got dressed, and left without a word..."

"Damn...you fucked up."

"Ah! Don't say that." Riley whined and buried her face in her knees.

"Well you did!"

"I know, but you don't have to say it."

Kiersten sighed. "So are you gonna say it back?"

"I don't know." Riley answered while picking at the thread that had come loose on his sheets.

"Well do you love him?"

"I don't know...how do you know if you're in love with someone?"

"Well how'd you know you were in love with Deven?"

"I don't know..." She sighed and stretched out her legs. "I just...I feel bad because I got upset with him that he won't introduce me to any of his friends, and then I asked him to open up to me...I just didn't think that'd mean him telling me he loves me."

"Damn...they weren't kidding when they said be careful what you ask for..."

"This blows..."

"I know Hon...I know."

Riley sighed. "Listen, Kit, not that I don't appreciate this, but I think I wanna get a second opinion."

"Alright Chica, just know that you can call me whenever. I love ya girl."

"Ahh! Why does everyone keep saying that to me today?" Riley yelled, only half joking. "Seriously, everyone I know says I'm the hardest person to love or even be-friend for that matter...Hell, I was a bitch to you when I first met you. I pushed you away cause I'm a loner like that, but you kept clawing your way back in..."

"Yeah...now I'm stuck." She joked and Riley laughed.

"Eh...but I'd say it was worth it..."

"Definitely." And silence envoloped the two best friends.

"...Man, what a hormonal pair we make." Riley joked to escape the sentimental moment that so often made her uncomfortable. Kiersten laughed and Riley sighed. "I'll talk to ya later...thanks Kiersten."

"Any time Ry."

Riley hung up and dialed a familiar and waited for the loving voice on the other end. "Oh my God! You're not dead! Someone call the Fort Worth Headlines, it's the story of the _year_! Bryn Riley Ann Turner has_ finally_ called home!" The familiar female voice drawled.

Riley rolled her eyes. "Ha ha...very funny Paige."

Her sister laughed. "Well can ya blame me? Mama was about ready to send a search team after ya."

Riley smiled and laughed a little while closing her eyes and relaxing against the bed. "How's everybody?"

"Were good...Tom's good...we're investing in a bigger car..." She hinted and waited on baited breath for her sister's response.

Riley sat straight up in bed. "No...do _not _tell me you're pregnant _again_!"

Paige laughed. "Make way for baby number 6!" Paige exclaimed excitedly.

"Damn y'all are a fertile little couple!"

"Tom and I are thinking of getting tracking devices installed in the kids..."

Riley laughed. "Oh no, you're stealing pages from my parenting book..."

"And what a scary book that must be." Paige joked, knowing Riley wasn't exactly the maternal type.

"Boy or girl?"

"I don't know, we just found out this morning." She smiled and sighed. "So what's up _infantia sanctimonialis_?" (meaning 'baby sister' in Latin)

"Not much...just...I have a question."

"Okay..."

"Um...how did you know you were in love with Tom?"

"Okay, could you pick a more random question, but okay...um...I...I just knew. We'd been friends for almost three years, and then the whole thing with Mike, and...he was there...through it all as my best friend...and I just knew..." Her thick Texan accent was laced with dreamy emotion.

Riley sighed and moaned. "So there wasn't a specific feeling?"

"Nope...but when it happens...you'll know."

Riley was silent and Paige sighed.

"Would this have anything to do with that Cowboy you've been seeing?"

"Yeah..."

"Are you in love with him?"

"That's the thing Paigey, I don't know...I haven't the slightest idea...he told me he loved me about an hour ago-"_ Damn, was that really only an hour ago? _"And I just...froze."

"Froze?"

"_Froze_...I didn't say anything...I just stared at him for the longest time, then I looked away, and he left for work..."

"Well...I'd say you are royally screwed."

"Paige..."

"What?" She sighed. "I'm just being realistic."

"Do you think we can recover from this?"

"I don't know...as a marriage consular I'd say it depends on how strong a couple the two of ya are. If y'all aren't that mature in your relationship or if there are several burdens weighing y'all down it's hard to tell...but as your sister, I'd say you could. You're strong Bryn, I'm pretty sure you can handle this...him, I know nothing about. Why is that again?"

"Forget it Paige, I'm not subjecting him to y'all quite yet." Riley replied, her smile peeking out in her drawl. She loveed her family to death...but they were completely insane.

"Yeah, now would not be the time..."

"So, lets say this is you and Tom, how much time would you say is there before the ticking time bomb that is the 'L' word explodes?"

She sighed. "First off, it's biased and unprofessional to use myself and my husband as an example to you and your mystery Cowboy, second, if you're gonna move past this at all ya gotta quit calling it the 'L' word. Say 'love' Bryn. It isn't that hard."

"That's easy for you to say...ba dum bum." She joked at the stupid play on words and she could practically hear her sister roll her eyes.

"Practice with me, c'mon B. Just say it...I love you Bryn."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I love you Paige." She droned with absolutely no seriousness to her tone.

"See?"

"But that's easy, you're my sister. That's a different kind of love. And I know I love you. You're my Paigey-Kins."

"I think you need to relax a little bit when it comes to the word 'love' in terms of boyfriends and girlfriends...did you ever consider maybe you actually do love this guy-"

"Nick. His name is Nick."

"Okay, Did you ever consider the fact that maybe you actually love Nick, but you're just too scared to admit it cause you got burned last time?"

Silence.

"I'll take that as a 'no'...think about it Bryn. Chew it over, spit it out, examine it, then chew it some more." There was a bang and a crash in the background and Paige swore. "I'll have to talk to you later B. Travis just knocked over the vase from Daddy. Travis Bae Oakley, get your kiester over here this instant!" She called before the phone disconnected.

Riley sighed and leaned back against the pillows and took her sister's advice.

_Is she right...am I actually in love with Nick but I'm just too scared to realize it...? Wouldn't I be having an epiphany right now if that were true? Man...this sucks..._

She rolled over and hugged the pillow to her chest as she closed her eyes and tried to sleep on that thought...

**--Yeah, I know, short yet dramatic chapter...what oh what will happen next!--**

_Told y'all I was depressed...geez, and I was trying so hard to hide it. Now how am I gonna get my little puppets outta this mess...? _

_Reviews make me happy! So maybe you should review and get me outta this dark place..._

_-Still Depressed Futuremisscsi60_


	21. Chapter 21

_By the way, I know the time line is totally screwed up, but let's pretend this is after DLG, but DLG is before ABRTI part 1 & 2...sorry if that makes no sense. I'm not putting ABRTI part 1 & 2 in the book, it's just that that's when Nick got the stache (which in George Ead's defense wasn't as horrible as everyone says it was...) and I've got my own explanation for the stache...yeah, I'm that pathetic...(shrugs) _

_Also, I don't own Tina, Nick, Doc, Warrick, or anyone else from CSI...and I don't own or represent Pudlle Of Mudd or any of their songs. _

_Rating is high on this, just a steamy make-out scene, but there's a lot of crude language and mature themes. _

**Chapter 21**

_(June 19, 2006 – Same night)_

"What can you tell me about her Doc?" Nick asked and Doctor Al Robbins sighed.

"Same as before Nick, young girl she's only 23, fits the profile to a Texas 'T'. Raped brutally multiple times, beaten brutally, blunt force trauma to the occipital of the head. Judging by the shape of the wound I'd say it was a rounded object, yet slightly flat on the end. I found splinters in the wound, along with vaginal fluid...I sent it to DNA, new girl's working on it." He added and pointed towards her lower abdomen. "Several stab like wounds from her umbilical to her inguinal, wounds indicate that the weapon was sharp, irregular with a tight curve."

"Corkscrew?" Nick asked and Doc nodded.

"That'd do it."

"He hasn't used a corkscrew before..."

"Escalation Nick...she also obtained bruises to the sternum, deltoid, and axillary."

"More escalation...how'd that get there?"

"Not my job Nick." Doc informed him and Nick sighed. "Took a buccal swab, she had seminal fluid in her mouth."

Nick sighed again and shifted his feet. "Alright..." Doc handed him the formal report. "Thanks Doc."

**--Desert Palms Hospital—9:24 pm—Third Floor/ Monitory Ward--**

"Okay, you just go ahead and do that Mrs. Johnson." Riley said trying her hardest to be friendly to the diffident woman.

"I hate this damn hospital! I hate you damn doctors! I hate the damn meds and I hate wire hangers!" She exclaimed and Riley closed the door.

"Alright, that's good to know!" Riley huffed, not really trying to be friendly anymore. She sighed and closed the door on the screaming woman. "I think she's better suited for the psych ward." Riley mumbled to no one in particular. She sighed and took off towards the break room for a much needed session with the Ben and Jerry's she left in the community freezer.

Riley sighed in relief when she saw it was untouched and sat down at the table to dig into her simple pleasure when a fellow nurse and friend walked in. "Hey Riley." She greeted and Riley lifted the spoon and nodded slightly.

"Hey Tina."

"Ooh, tough shift?" Tina asked and sat down at the table with her salad.

"And it's just beginning." She answered. "How 'bout you?" The Texan drawled and continued with the 'Half Baked' flavor ice cream pint.

"Eh, not so bad."

Riley furred her brows. "I thought you had the 'uncooperative' teenager on the fifth floor? Heard he's horrible..."

"I do, and he is...but I get to see my man in about thirty minutes for his break..." Tina smiled and nodded slightly and Riley shook her head and laughed.

"Tina Brown, you have it _bad_." Riley drawled.

"Well, he_ is_ my husband." The pretty African American defended while blushing.

"It's alright Tina...I get it. I just have this knack for making fun of people when they're happy. My Mama says it's a defense mechanism." Riley replied with a small smile as she continued eating her ice cream.

Tina raised an eyebrow. "Well, I was talking about my husband...what're you defending yourself against? You wanting a husband?" Tina joked while giving her a mock pout and Riley threw her head back and laughed.

"No...farthest thing from it. Nah, I just made an 'uh-oh' this morning with my boyfriend..."

"What happened Ry?"

Riley sighed and pushed the chunks of brownie around in the ice cream carton before setting it down on the table and looking at Tina. "How did you react when Rick first told you he loved you?"

Tina laughed. "I married him." Riley's jaw hit the floor. "We'd been dating for about four or five months when he came home one night...he had this, really tough case at work, involving his best friend and...he told me life was too short to waste it messing around and..." She sighed dreamily. "Told me he loved me, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. He took me to the Belagio Hotel's jewelry store and let me pick out the engagement ring and wedding bands, and then we went to a drive through chapel."

Riley chuckled a little.

"Hey, I know it's nothing fancy but...if you're marrying the right man, none of that matters."

"How did you know you loved him after you'd only been dating a few months?"

Tina shrugged. "I don't know...I just-"

"Knew." Riley finished while nodding. "Apparently that's the universal feeling known to everyone but me."

Tina chuckled sympathetically. "When you know, you'll know."

"What's Rick like?" Riley asked curiously, desperate for a change of topic.

Tina smiled. "Amazing...he's just...perfect. He treats me better than any other guy I've been with, his work schedule kinda sucked, he worked Nights and I worked Swing, then he got moved to Swing and I was moved to Nights, but he finally moved back to Nights...it's been good ever since." Tina smiled and Riley nodded.

"You sound really happy."

"I am, Warrick is the best thing that ever happened to me." Tina professed and Riley knitted her brow.

_Warrick Brown...why do I feel like I've heard that name somewhere...? _

"Tina," Dr. Almers poked his head into the break room. "Your husband is here for you." He said dryly and left just as quickly as he came, not too happy about discussing his ex-girlfriend's husband.

Tina sighed and Riley shot her a sympathetic smile. "Working around your ex and having your man interfere a lot of the time...I know the situation all too well..."

Tina laughed and stood up to go greet her husband when the man in question arrived at the break room door. "Mrs. Brown." He greeted and kissed her.

"Hey Baby, I was just comin to see you." He kissed her again and she laughed and pulled away. "Oh, Rick, I want you to meet Riley Turner. Riley, this is Rick."

Riley stood up and shook hands with Warrick. "Hi, nice to meet you." She greeted.

"Oh yeah, right back at ya. Tina speaks very highly of you." Warrick informed her. _Wow...why does she look familiar? _

"Same for you. Any time your name comes into conversation she brightens up." Riley replied and Tina blushed.

"Well, I'm sorry to pull you two ladies from your conversation but I'm going to steal my wife for a little bit." Warrick explained and Riley chuckled.

"No problem, I gotta get back to work anyway." She drawled and put the ice cream back in the freezer. Going out the door with a sly smile on her face, she shot back at them good naturedly, "Have fun, but not in one of the empty rooms, Edgar gets mad when people fool around in those rooms. Employee or not."

Tina laughed. "You and your Cowboy?" She questioned and Riley responded with a smile and waggling her eyebrows.

"Ah, man...she's got a boyfriend?" Warrick asked sadly and Tina swatted his arm. "Not for me." He defended. "I'm talkin about Nick...he seemed kinda down this morning..."

"You think he needs a girl?"

"Well, I think he had a girl a while back cause he was comin into work with scratch marks on his back and hickeys here and there. But about four months back he was down for a while, then back on top, now he's down again. But I never asked him about it..."

"Maybe he's breaking up with a girl...or it's just a casual thing...anyway, Riley said she's goin through problems with her boyfriend." Tina smiled. "Hey, maybe they'll get lucky and each break it off with the other people and we can play Cupid and hook them up."

Warrick laughed. "I'll ask Nick what's goin on. Anyway, I don't wanna talk about Nick right now...we could be spending our time doing more fulfilling activities." Warrick hinted and Tina laughed.

**--CSI Crime Lab—Layout Room—12:16 a.m.--**

"Nick...hey, how're you doing?" Sara asked tentatively as she stepped into the room Nick was working in. It was no secret that Nick had been slightly hostile with everyone today, for a reason no one knew, and it was very odd for Nick to be rude to everyone and anyone because of something personal...

"Fine. Why?"

She shrugged. "Just curious. How far have you come with the newest vic?"

"Well, she has an identity now. Ms Kendra Blake, lives about two blocks from here in the Windsor Apartments. Cocktail waitress at the Rio Hotel, just finishing up school."

"School?"

"College, majoring in human psychology."

"Hmm...she was smart."

"Yeah, I spoke with the uh, the owner of the apartments and he said that Ms. Blake was rooming with two other girls; a Ms. Diana Larson and Ms. Karen Grier."

"Did you get a hold of them?"

"Brass is bringing them in now." Nick answered and kept his attention on the evidence. Sara stayed next to him, wanting to ask him about what was bothering him, but didn't want to risk getting her head bitten off. "What can I do for you Sara?" Nick asked tightly and she sighed.

"Nick are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Just wasn't too happy about getting woken up and having my ass dragged back to work after I just pulled two doubles." Nick snapped and Sara nodded and recoiled a few steps.

"Alright...I'll um...okay." She stammered and quickly hurried out of the room.

**--Nick's House—7:18 a.m... I really hope they get the bar thingy fixed...--**

One week later, Riley hesitantly unlocked Nick's door and stepped inside cautiously, as if the slightest movements could set off a bomb. She sighed and looked onto the couch to see Nick passed out, still in his clothes from work, shoes, and vest. He was lying face up with one arm draped over his eyes, the other arm across his stomach, with one leg was extended straight out on the couch, and the other draped over the edge of the couch.

Riley suppressed a smile and walked over to him and knelt down next to him, and let a stray finger travel down the part of his cheek that was exposed. She felt the stubble along his jaw line from a few nights of not shaving and she smiled. Nick shifted slightly in his sleep and moved his arm over his head, exposing the rest of his face. She sucked in a breath and smiled as she brushed the hair off of his forehead.

Nick sighed in his sleep and rolled over onto his left side. His arm snaked around her waist and held her tightly, making it hard for her to move. She was instantly glad that he had purchased a big couch when they had refurnished his house. She slid onto the couch next to him, not bothering to take off her shoes or jacket, mocking his movements, and snuggled against him. He pulled her closer to himself and let the hand resting above him fall into her hair.

She wrapped her arm across his chest and kissed his jaw lightly before she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

A few hours later the shifting on the other side of the couch brought Riley back to the 'world of the living' as Nick often called it. She kept her eyes closed but tightened her grasp on Nick, snuggling in closer to him. She heard him sigh and felt as his fingers began brushing through her hair. He planted a soft kiss on top of her head and sighed once again. "I love you Riley." He whispered, unaware of the fact that she was awake. "And I'm sorry you don't love me too."

She felt her heart stop in her chest as she awaited his next move. He climbed over her on the couchand walked into the kitchen to start the coffee. Riley rolled over to face the back of the couch and pressed herself against it to insinuate she was still sleeping and looking for heat that had once been provided by Nick's body.

_Oh. My. God...he said he loves me...again. And he knows I'm not there yet...what the hell am I gonna do? It's not like before when I could've ignored it. Sure, he thinks I was asleep, but I know I wasn't...and I know what he said. But...if he thinks that I was asleep and he said it then maybe I can let this go. Plus, he just said he knew that I don't love him back. But he also said he was sorry...does he think there's something wrong with him? God I hope not...he's...he's amazing. I'm just not there yet. Okay, why can't I just tell him this...? _

She asked herself, and squeezed her eyes shut and tried to will herself back to sleep so that she may forget any of this ever happened, and just wake up and deal with what happened a week ago without having to deal wiht the added stress caused by stalling.

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filtered into her nostrils, and she opened her eyes and rolled over to see Nick walk over with two cups of coffee. He knelt down next to her and brushed a long, thick curl from her face, caressing her cheek as he did so. He brought his lips to hers and kissed her softly, she hesitated before beginning to kiss him back and wrap her arms around his neck. She closed her eyes and tried to forget about what he had said, and focus on how good it felt to have his lips pressed against her own.

The kiss deepened and Nick's hand went to the other side of her brace himself above her as he eased himself back on the couch. She moaned into his mouth and Nick brought one of the hands used to brace himself to her hip as he rested carefully on her body, allowing his hands access to roam her curves. She slid her hands down his sides and then dipped them underneath his shirt to feel his muscles underneath. He moaned and pushed his pelvis into hers, causing her to pull her mouth away from his and moan. His lips traveled down her neck, pulling at the sensitive, porcelain skin with his teeth. She dug her nails into the small of his back, making him hiss and chuckle.

"Someone's feisty in the mornings..." Nick drawled.

"You _know_ I'm feisty in the mornings...the scratches on your back are proof." She stated, the twang in her voice more evident with sleep and arousal.

"Mmmm...that hasn't happened in a while." He noted and she finally opened her eyes and looked at him as he kissed his way down her abdomen, sliding his hand into the top of her scrubs pants as he did so. She gasped as she felt his hand graze her sensitive area, and threw her head back in appraisal. Nick kissed his way back up to her mouth and she moaned as he pushed his hand further into her pants. She moaned and spread her legs apart, allowing him room to fulfill her desires.

The shrill ringing of his phone made Riley groan loudly in protest. "I am going to _kill_ your boss..." She snarled angrily.

"You don't know that its Grissom."

"It's _always_ Grissom." She growled and Nick sighed and got up off of her. She adjusted her pants and sat up from the couch while working her jaw and silently fuming.

"Stokes..." He sighed and turned slightly away from Riley and she sighed in anger. She knew that when he did that it meant he had to go to work. "Is it absolutely necessary that I be there...? Because they ordered me home until-..._yeah_..." He sighed again. "I'll be there." Nick hung up and turned back around to face Riley. He stared at her for a moment, then held out his hands and shrugged slightly to show there was nothing he could do. Riley scoffed in disgust and shook her head as she walked off towards his bedroom. Nick sighed and followed after her. "What do you want me to do Riley? It's my job." He defended. "I told you it'd be hard."

"Yeah well, I can deal with having a demanding job, okay, I get that. I've got two of 'em. But...Jesus-" She gave the gesture he had given her in the living room and Nick rolled his eyes. "What the Hell _is_ that?"

"C'mon, gimme a break." Nick grumbled and dragged a tired hand over his face.

"Seriously Nick. What's with that?"

"What!" Nick asked confused in a high pitch voice.

"What was that gesture?"

"Yeah, kinda sucks when someone doesn't respond huh?" Nick asked setting his hands on his hips. Riley dropped her jaw and glared ferociously at him. Nick set her with the same glare and she shook her head.

"Is that was this is about?" She asked angrily. "Just cause I didn't say it back?"

"Oh no, Riley, I understand four little words can be hard too say...but somethin would've been nice!" He yelled and she recoiled a bit, but stood her ground and let her anger grow. "I mean Jesus, you started at me for fuckin five minutes! You could have said somethin, _anything_!"

She shook her head and chuckled dryly. "You are unbelievable." She snapped and walked out of the room. Nick sighed and worked his jaw as he followed her out of the room.

"So what you're gonna just leave? Oh yeah. Nice. Great. That's real great. Just, just leave." He said and shrugged while nodding and leaning against the counter.

"My pleasure." She grumbled.

"Oh, don't forget your coat." He tossed it to her while smiling mock-pleasantly. He waved good bye and she shook her head in disbelief.

"For someone who apparently loves someone else...you gotta shitty way of showin it."

"Yeah well, for someone who doesn't love someone else, you show it perfectly." Nick replied and she nodded slightly while dragging her tongue across the tops of her teeth.

"Yeah...so if I'm so horrible...what the fuck are doin with me?" She asked as she stood in the doorway.

"You know I don't really know." Nick said, his voice steady, but seething with anger. She stared at him for a moment then turned and wordlessly walked out the door, slamming it loudly behind her, hard enough to make the pictures on the wall vibrate.

"Mother Fucker!"

He heard the curse through the door, and that was enough to make Nick wince and recoil from the door, and walk back to his room, not knowing what to do with himself besides go to work.

**--Nick's Tahoe—7:38 a.m. Oooohhh, drama drama drama-- **

Nick sighed and tried to drown out the mental replays of his and Riley's break up (number 2) by turning on the radio. Apparently God hates Nick, and decided to torture him...through song.

A well known song by Puddle of Mudd called She Hates Me, started playing on the radio and Nick furred his eyebrows as he listened to the lyrics.

_Met a girl, thought she was grand.  
Fell in love, found out first hand.  
Went well for a week or two.  
Then it all came unglued. _

In a trapped trip I can't grip.  
Never thought I'd be the one who'd slip.  
Then I started to realize,  
I was living one big lie.

_She fucking hates me.  
Trust.  
She fucking hates me.  
La la la love.  
I tried too hard,  
And she tore my feelings like I had none,  
And ripped them away._

_She was queen for about an hour.  
After that shit got sour.  
She took all I ever had.  
No sign of guilt,  
No feeling of bad, no. _

In a trapped trip I can't grip.  
Never thought I'd be the one who'd slip.  
Then I started to realize,  
I was living one big lie.

_She fucking hates me.  
Trust.  
She fucking hates me.  
La la la love.  
I tried too hard,  
And she tore my feelings like I had none,  
And ripped them away._

_That's my story, as you see,  
Learned my lesson and so did she.  
Now it's over and I'm glad,  
'Cause I'm a fool for all I've said._

_She fucking hates me.  
Trust.  
She fucking hates me.  
La la la love.  
I tried too hard,  
And she tore my feelings like I had none,  
And ripped them away._

_La la la la la la la la la love.  
Trust.  
La la la la la la la la la love.  
Trust.  
And she tore my feelings like I had none.  
She fucking hates me._

Nick yelled in anger and turned off the radio. If it wasn't the department's car, he'd have probably broken the radio. He fumed and griped the steering wheel tighter. He wasn't quite sure who he was mad at, himself or Riley. He sighed and stopped at the red light and dragged his hands over his face tiredly. He had to hide this, if he came into work pissed off again people would start to ask questions.

He shook his head and put his hands back on the wheel and drove off to work.

**--Yep...kinda depressing...I got outta my funk a little bit ago, but I had to keep up with the plot bunny I'd created—**

_(Ducks under desk to avoid flying objects that seem to come at her a lot lately) I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! But I just had to be mean to them, a few readers no why but only because they have to put up with me...they're the' chosen ones' Thank you Captain Chemistry! (Laughs ass off and struggles as she tries to sit in the chair without an ass...XD) _

_But anyway...should I end the book with them splitting up or should they get back together! Review and let me know what y'all think!_

_-Badly Pelted Futuremisscsi60 _


	22. Chapter 22

_By the way, minor references to FRIENDS in this chapter (Fireball Extreme)...I don't own either of them...but I have played Fireball Extreme...ow. I don't own Tina, Warrick, Nick, or anyone else from CSI. But I do own Paige, Tom, and all their little babies...hi Tigger..."Hi Chella." _

**Chapter 22**

_(One week later) _

"Jesus! It's like everyone in Vegas decided to play Fireball Extreme tonight!" Riley drawled and Tina looked at her confused.

"What's Fireball Extreme?"

Riley shook her head. "Just somethin from this show I watch...two guys got bored so they came up with a game involving bowling balls and blow torches..."

Tina gaped at her, then recovered and chuckled. "Wow...kinda sounds like your friends."

Riley laughed for the first time in almost two weeks. She had been cooperative with everyone, doing what she needed to do and forcing a smile when it was absolutely necessary, but Tina hadn't seen the slightly younger woman smile in too long. As the two of them headed to the supply closet to stock up on gauzes and other medical supplies, Tina stopped Riley to ask her the question she had Warrick had been discussing for a week or so now.

"Hey, Riley, how are thing with you and your Cowboy doing?"

Riley stiffened, then sighed heavily. "We broke up last week."

"Oh Gosh Ry, why didn't you tell me?" Tina asked and Riley chuckled humorlessly.

"It's not somethin I want broadcasted Tina...'Riley just got dumped by her boyfriend of seven and a half months. Let's everyone point, whisper, and 'console' to make her feel insecure'." Riley mocked and Tina shook her head.

"I wouldn't do that Ry...I was just wondering...maybe you'd like to come out with Rick and me sometime..."

"Nah, thanks T, but I'd feel like the third wheel...and I got enough of that being the youngest of seven back home."

"Well, what if we brought someone for you..."

Riley stopped and looked over at her. "No. No, no, no. No blind dates."

"Aw, c'mon Ry. Give it a try."

"No! With all my luck I'd get an ugo with no personality except the fascination of string..." Tina looked over at Riley with one eyebrow raised and Riley sighed. "Don't ask...I hate blind dates."

"Well, I can promise you this one's no ugo. And he's got a great personality. He's sweet, and charming, and good looking."

"Geez T, if he's so amazing why don't you date him?"

Tina laughed. "I've already got one, thanks anyway. _Please_ Riley, just give it a shot."

Riley sighed and leaned against the wall. "I'll think about it."

Tina smiled and nodded. "That's all I ask."

Riley rolled her eyes. "Alright, change of topic...how'd the delivery in 2E go? I heard it was a little girl right?"

Tina smiled and nodded. "Yup, beautiful too. Seven pounds three ounces, brown hair, big green eyes...aw, she was gorgeous."

Riley nodded. "Yeah, my sister just announced she's pregnant with their sixth."

"Whoa! Six? Geez...how old is she?"

She smiled softly, the first actual smile to grace her face in a week. "She turns 31 in about five months. She and Tom have been married for almost twelve years."

"Whoa!"

"Yep, got married a couple weeks after she turned eighteen. But they dated for about three years before that, then they were friends for almost four years."

"Wow...and they're still goin strong?"

"Yeah. She's a marriage counselor and he's a psychologist."

"Well, that explains it. Also about how they're sane with five kids and one more on the way."

"God love 'em...Goodness knows I could never do that."

The girls shared a laugh and walked out of the supply closet and back to their rounds.

**--The Universal House (aka, Riley's house)—Living Room—5:02 a.m.-- **

"Hey Ry. How was work?" Jon asked.

"Busy." Riley sighed and plopped down on the couch.

Shaun walked out and smiled. "I gotta say, I'm lovin that you're a nurse Riley." Shaun proclaimed and waggled his eyebrows. "Yowza!"

She rolled her eyes. "Now is not the time Shaun." She mumbled.

"Oh, are you okay girl?" He asked and sat down next to her.

She sighed. "I'm just tired...TGIF man...TGIF."

Shaun chuckled. "Well go take a nap."

She nodded. "I think I will." She said and she ascended the stairs. Deven and CJ came down the stairs discussing something, but moved out of the way when they saw Riley.

"Hey," Deven stopped her and grabbed her wrist gently. "Are you okay?" He asked as CJ descended the stairs with out him, and she nodded.

"I'm just tired..." When he didn't let her wrist go she explained further. "It was a long shift."

Deven nodded and slowly let her go, and she immediately went in the direction of her room. She sighed and plopped down on the bed and laid there for a few minutes, before pulling herself off of it to get ready for bed.

Deven went into the living room and looked around. "Where's Kiersten?"

"Outside with Thomas." Troy answered and Deven went to the back porch. He found the woman in question sitting there with Thomas, both of them smoking cigarettes.

"Hey, uh Thomas, can you give Kiersten and me a minute?" Deven asked, and Thomas looked over to Kiersten for approval. She nodded and Thomas went back into the house, crushing his cigarette and disposing of it before he did so. "Did you dye your hair?"

"Did you kick Thomas out just for that?"

"No..."

"Well then yeah, its chocolate brown...you didn't come out here to ask me about my hair color...what's up?"

Deven sighed. "What's up with Riley lately? She seems...down."

Kiersten looked at him confused. "No one told you?"

"Um...no."

Kiersten seemed to be contemplating releasing the information to her friend, and eventually gave in and sighed, releasing the smoke from her mouth. "She and Nick broke up last week..." Kiersten looked over, expecting to see something of a smile on his face, and was surprised when she found anger.

He sat back in his chair and worked his jaw, while running a finger along his clean shaven jaw. Kiersten raised an eyebrow at the man's demeanor and Deven shook his head. "I'll fuckin kick his ass..."

"Geez Dev...chill out."

"No! She's been depressed as _Hell_ for the past week and it's all that fucker's fault!"

"Deven, calm down." She sighed. "Remember once upon a time, you were the fucker that everyone wanted to kill for hurtin her..."

"Did he cheat on her?"

"No."

"So what happened?" Deven asked and she sighed.

"You'll have to ask Riley..."

"She's not gonna tell me."

Kiersten paused before leaning over to him and shaking her head softly. "Then maybe it's not for you to know."

Deven shook his head. "No...no, she's...Kiersten I...I still love her."

Kiersten laughed and put out the end of her cigarette. "Whatever you do...don't tell her_ that_."

**--Local Diner—6:12 a.m.--**

"You got this one Cath?" Warrick asked and she scoffed and laughed.

"Yeah right, pay for your own meal buddy boy." She replied and patted his shoulder as he chuckled, ducked his head and nodded, and dragged his tongue across the tops of his teeth. Everyone around him, excluding Nick, laughed and ridiculed him for getting scorned.

Scorned...

Not a word Nick was fond of at the moment. He picked up his water glass and took a sip of it, before ducking his head back down. Sara stopped laughing when she caught sight of Nick, and she frowned. "Nick...hey, you okay?" She asked and all attention was drawn to the Texan. He cautiously looked around the table and quickly turned his head back down.

"Yeah..." He lied and nodded. "I'm just tired...it's been a long shift."

"Hell, it's been a long week." Warrick replied and everyone nodded in agreement.

"I heard that." Greg agreed and everyone, but Nick, clinked their plastic cups together as if they were toasting.

Nick sighed. He couldn't be around this right now. His friends were great, but all he wanted to do was go home and wallow in his self pity and dwell on the fact at how dense he could be as to push the woman he loved away...simply because she wouldn't say it back. "I'm gonna head home." Nick replied and laid his portion of the meal down on the table.

"What?" Catherine asked.

"Aw, c'mon." Greg pouted.

"Nicky, please stay." Sara requested.

"Yeah man, just finish up breakfast..." Warrick pleaded.

"Nick..." Grissom began and Nick dragged his gaze up to his boss. "Stay." He replied and searched the young man's deep, regret filled brown eyes. Nick sighed and dropped his head and shook it from side to side.

"No...I'm tired...sorry y'all." He drawled and everyone nodded sadly.

"Alright, go home and get some rest Nicky. Enjoy the weekend." Catherine ordered and Nick forced out a minuscule of a smile.

"Yeah..." And with that he left.

"Man...what's with him lately?" Greg asked and Catherine sighed.

"I don't know...but I'll tell you one thing. From my experience as a mother, there's more than a case effecting him."

"Yeah..." Warrick said sighing and putting his fist under his chin. Sara looked behind her at Grissom staring intently at the door Nick had exited.

"Grissom...you still with us?" She asked and Grissom looked back over to the team.

"Yes...let's finish our breakfast shall we?"

**--The Universal House—Riley's Room—6:23 p.m.--**

"Hey! C'mon! You slept for twelve hours straight! Get your lazy ass outta bed!" Shaun demanded jokingly and yanked the sheet off of Riley. She moaned in protest and turned over in bed to snuggle into the mattress and Shaun snickered.

"C'mon sleepin beauty! Time to get up." Jabari declared and she threw a pillow at him. CJ caught it and whopped her in the head with it.

"C'mon Bryn...get up." She kicked him while still lying down in bed and he doubled over in pain and all the men jumped back, worried about what she'd do to their _areas_...

Kiersten and Emma laughed and stepped forward. "Get up Riley! It isn't healthy to sleep as long as you did when your body isn't used to it." Kiersten informed her and she moaned.

"Get up Ry..." Emma begged and Riley maneuvered her hand from under the pillow to flip them all the bird. They laughed and Jon shook his head as he walked in.

"I take it 'Operation get-Riley-out-of-bed' was a complete failure." Jon assessed and they all rolled their eyes. Jon snickered. "Now it's time for 'Operation get-Riley-out-of-bed-now'!" He declared and poured a pitcher of ice cold water on the sleeping woman. She screamed and jumped up on the bed while everyone laughed.

"Bet you wish you didn't wear a white T shirt to bed huh?" Shaun snickered and she punched him in the shoulder. He winced and frowned. "Ouch...you're mean."

"Fuck...you." She growled in between shivers and Kiersten laughed and brought her a towel.

"C'mon Riley, we're all goin out to celebrate the weekend's arrival. Come with us to get shit faced!" Kiersten begged and all the men cheered at the thought of getting totally hammered.

Riley shook her head. "My body's in complete shock...I don't think it could handle alcohol." She replied while shivering.

"Jesus, what'd you guys do to her? I suggested invite her along, not drench her in ice water..." Deven noted, coming into the room. She shivered more and Deven suppressed a chuckle at the sight of his former girlfriend shivering in the middle of summer. He laughed and shook his head. "Why do I have the feeling this was Jon's idea?"

"Because we're all still here and she'd have killed anyone else..." Pot Roast replied and they all chuckled.

"So come on Riley, what do you say?" CJ asked.

"Nah, I'm gonna pass." She answered.

"Aw, come on. It won't be half as much fun without you there." Jabari begged and she laughed.

"That's only because you think its fun to take advantage of me when I'm drunk." She joked and Jabari shrugged innocently.

"Please Riley...don't leave Emma and I to fend off all these guys on our own." Kiersten begged and she shook her head.

"Nah, I've got some stuff I gotta finish up here for the hospital..." Riley replied and Shaun rolled his eyes.

"Party Pooper." He named and he and everyone filed out, leaving Kiersten, Deven, and Riley alone in the room.

Kiersten sighed. "I'll miss you Chica."

"Nah, you'll forget about me the minute you charm some guy into buying you a drink." Riley ribbed and Kiersten rolled her eyes.

"Yep, you know me." And with that Kiersten left the room. Riley sighed and turned to Deven.

"You're not going?" She asked when she noticed he was the only other one not dressed to go out.

"Nah, I've got some shit to deal with down at Club Spike."

"Oh yeah...I forgot you're assistant manager...how's that goin?"

He shrugged. "It's fine...ya know. How's the hospital going?"

"Eh...I'm tired constantly...but hey, it's only because there are so many dumbasses in Vegas." She replied and Deven chuckled.

"Yeah...and we're friends with half of them." Deven joked as they heard the commotion downstairs.

"Shaun! You can't bring your own beer to the bar!" Jon reprimanded and they heard Shaun's protest.

Riley laughed. "True...we do have some insane friends."

They shared a laugh, and then settled into comfortable silence, and Deven sat down next to Riley on the soaked bed, careful to avoid the soaked area. "Ry...are you okay?"

She sighed and ran a hand through her wet, tangled red-copper colored hair. "I'm fine."

"Riley..."

She sighed again. "I'll be okay...eventually."

Deven sighed and enveloped her in a hug. Her wet hair soaked through his shirt and he rubbed his hands up and down her back supportively. "Yeah...you're tough. You're gonna be okay Sweetheart." He replied softly and she nodded and pulled away from him, while looking down at her hands that were folded in her lap.

"I uh...I have to get changed."

"Oh, uh...yeah. Sorry." He stood and went to the door, before turning around just as she was about to pull her shirt over her head. "If you need anything, just let me know...okay."

She smiled softly and nodded as he left and she pulled her shirt over her head and discarded it to the floor.

**--The Universal House—Riley's Room—June 28, 2006 6:03 a.m.--**

Riley opened her eyes to see her bathroom door, closed, as it always was when she slept. She sighed and pressed herself further into the bed...but something didn't feel right. She groaned softly and tried to push herself up to a sitting position on the mattress, but couldn't. Something was weighing her down. It was then that she felt the arm around her waist flex and pull her closer to the strong body spooning behind her.

Her heart rate quickened and her mind raced. _Damn this early-morning-delirium. Oh God..._

She thought as the man behind her sighed.

_...What happened last night? Oh God...oh God...what happened? _

She bit her lip as she realized the only answer would be to turn around and see who was in bed with her...she closed her eyes and rolled over and opened her eyes slowly to see the familiar head of brown hair and closed eyes. She should have known...they way they had been spooning was so familiar...

A sob escaped her throat and she closed her eyes once again to wish away the body next to her. He wasn't supposed to be here. This wasn't supposed to be how they got back together, if they got back together at all, which she feared the wouldn't...

_No...no no no...this didn't happen. This gorgeous man isn't lying next to you...whatever the Hell happened last night didn't happen... _

She tried to convince herself as another sob escaped her throat, this time accompanied by the threat of burning tears. But the reality of it was sinking in...of what she had done...

...She had slept with Deven.

**--End of Chapter (duh! I love leavin y'all with cliff hangers!)--**

_(ducks under desk yet again and uses useless high school text book as a shield) Ahh! Y'all thought last chapter was bad...HA! Bet ya weren't expecting that! XD_

_Yeah, I know, I'm full of surprises...kinda like a soap opera...except with a better story line, more believable events, and better acting... (shrugs) _

_Alright...review and let me know how angry y'all are..._

_-Futuremisscsi60_


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

_(Immediately following last scene of Chapter 22) _

Riley slid out from underneath Deven's arm and sank to the floor by her bed. Oh God...what had she done? Hoe could she have been so stupid? She had just slept with Deven..._Deven_. The man who broke her heart, _Deven_...the man who caused her so much pain, _Deven_...her **rebound**, _Deven_.

The feeling of all the blood rushing from her head let Riley experience the first effects of her slight hangover. She must have drunk a lot to experience a hangover after last night...any other night she would have woken feeling perfectly fine. Ah, the joy of being young.

She stood up and tried to walk to the bathroom and immediately felt the pain in her hips and thighs. "Fuck." She cursed softly.

_No...no more of that...that's what got me into this damn mess. Geez, how many rounds did we go last night? Oh yeah...four...four_ hard_ rounds..._

She chuckled despite her current state of panic and painfully made it into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She took in her appearance in the mirror, pale, shaky, sweaty, tired...

_Eh, I actually don't look that bad...I wonder if that's what Deven thought? _

"Oh God..." She mumbled and dropped to her knees next to the toilet and threw up everything she'd eaten within the last day. Once she was done wrenching, she leaned back against the tub and sighed. She had an immediate flashback of sitting naked on the floor in this very spot after Nick had vomited just over a month ago...only difference was Nick had been sitting next to her, admitting something horrible. Now _she _was the one purging her stomach and admitting regret to something horrible she'd done.

The thought of that sent her back to the toilet's side. Now she was merely dry heaving, and that really hurt. She moaned and settled against the tub and thanked God that Deven was a heavy sleeper. She sighed and pulled herself up off the ground and flushed the toilet and all her stomach contents away.

She turned and switched on the hot water in the shower and leaned against the cool bathroom wall. A few moments later she stepped into the shower, and winced as the hot liquid made contact with her sensitive skin. She felt along her neck and found hickeys all over it, on her thighs, stomach, and breasts.

_Damn...we are animals. _

The reference to her and Deven being a 'we' made the bile rise in her throat once again, but she fought it down and tried to scrub him off of her.

**--Nick's House—Nick's Room—6:33 a.m.--**

Nick sighed and rolled over to face the ceiling, gazing up at the green wall above him, he had a flashback of he and Riley painting the ceiling almost four months ago. He had chosen an original color of Olive Green, or what she had referred to as baby poop green. Nick smirked at the memory of how she had pretended like it wasn't a hideous color just to make him happy...he had ended up choosing to the color paint she had picked...he had to admit it was nicer anyway.

He moaned as he realized he had caught himself thinking about her again. That was all he had done last night. Anything he looked at, or heard, or smelled all reminded him of her. He groaned and threw his pillow over his eyes, but her scent still lingered on it.

_Casablanca Lilies, her favorite. And Dove shampoo with a hint of Natori perfume...I need to wash my sheets. _

He told himself and stood up immediately and yanked the covers off the bed and threw them in a heap on the floor. He pulled the cases of the pillows and tossed them into the pile also. He had reached for the mattress cover (_I have no idea what that's called...is there even a name for it...?_), when he spotted something small and gold near the upper right corner of the headboard. The thin gold chain was caught on the metal frame and wooden post of the head board, and the small gold cross shimmered as the silver and gold star in the center of it reflected the light from different angles.

He recognized it immediately as Riley's necklace; he had asked her about it a few months ago as she had lain in his arms. The necklace had gone missing the next day, and she'd been on the hunt for it ever since.

_Figures this would be the last place we'd look..._

Nick chuckled dryly and set the gold jewelry on his nightstand, next to a bra and pair of shoes he had found last night while cleaning. He didn't dare start cleaning her things out of one of the drawers in his bathroom quite yet...he wasn't ready for that...

_Damn, I'm so fuckin pathetic I can't even clean out a friggin drawer in my bathroom because it belonged to her..._

He sighed and grabbed up the pile of dirty sheets and carried them to the end of the hallway and set them in the basket by the washer and dryer. He sighed and grabbed a different set of sheets from the closet, and caught a whiff of the fabric softener he had used on his sheets.

_Daisies...Riley...Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!_

"Why the Hell can't I stop thinking about her!" Nick screamed and slammed the closet door shut, that being the alternative to putting his fist through the wall. He growled agitatedly and tried to take his mind off Riley by erasing all traces of her from his apartment.

**--The Universal House—Riley's Room—6:53 a.m.--**

Riley stood under the spray of the shower, not cleaning herself, simply standing there as the memories of last night flooded over her.

**/-/ Flashback /-/ **

The rain beat down hard on the window behind Riley's chair in the den of the house. Lighting flashed brightly behind the white frosted curtains, and the thunder soon following shook the house. The reverberations on the house created a humming noise from the air conditioner.

Riley sighed and hit the print button on her computer while stretching like a cat. She had been sitting in that position in the leather, Victorian style chair for nearly five hours finishing up the research for work. She sighed and reclined in the chair while waiting for the paper to finish printing. A small knock on the door drew her attention and she brought her head up and opened her eyes to see Deven standing in the doorway.

"Hey..." He furred his brows. "Are they not back yet?"

She shook her head. "Nah, I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't make it home at all...any of them." She replied while chuckling softly and shaking her head. She opened her mouth to say something else but the odd noises coming from the printer prevented her from doing so and she looked at it worriedly. Soon the blasted machine died down, lights turning off, noises finally stopping, and printing of Riley's six page report halted halfway through the first page.

She dropped her jaw and moaned at the thought of her printer dieing, but thanking God that she had a floppy disk and could copy the papers onto that. She sighed and inserted the disk, but just as she did so her screen blacked out, followed by all the lights, air conditioning, and the radio she had going on in the background.

She released a gasp and stared at the computer in shock. "Oh...no. Oh. My. God...no, no, no." She pleaded and tried desperately to turn her lap top back on.

"What's wrong Ry?"

She looked at Deven's blacked out form in shock. "What's wrong—the power just went out Deven!"

"Not the first time it's happened..." He sucked in a breath as he realized what was wrong. "Oh...was that your paper for work?"

He was answered by a groan of complaint and Riley's whimper. "No, no, no! God! I've been working on this for hours!" She exclaimed and ran her hands through her red hair in worry. "Oh God this can't be happening!"

"Relax Riley, the minute the power comes back on we can upload the paper then print it okay...? Just relax Ry."

She whimpered again and sighed. "God hates me."

"Yeah, he does. So give into the dark side and drink your worries away." Deven replied, remembering the game they had started back when they had been 'just friends'.

"And we have cookies and cake and endless re-runs of 'The Golden Girls'." The droned in unison and eventually Riley broke out into a chuckle.

"Actually...a glass of Merlot sounds pretty damn good." Riley deduced and Deven chuckled.

"There ya go."

A flash of lighting illuminated the room, giving Riley a quick sense of where she could step throughout the room to make it into the dinning room. She and Deven walked silently into the kitchen and grabbed a flashlight from out of the drawer and began searching for candles to light the house. They hit the jackpot and found two whole boxes of unopened Plumeria scented candle sticks. Deven sniffed one of them and smiled. "Ooh, this smells good."

"Yeah...that'd be why I bought 'em." She replied and they began placing them around the kitchen, living room, and around the house. After they were finished they brought the bottle of Merlot into the living room and Riley sighed in boredom. "What do we do until the power comes back on?"

Deven smiled. "I have an idea..."

---------

"Deven...this isn't what I had in mind."

"Aw c'mon Ry, give it a try...give into the dark side..."

"And make shadow puppets?" She finished and Deven chuckled.

"Alright, let me try once more. I promise this one will be easy." Deven replied and placed his hands in front of the flame to create a shadow on the wall. He formed his hands into an ambiguous create and Riley looked at it in complete and utter confusion.

"What the Hell is that?" She asked as he began making the foreign object move.

"Guess."

She sighed and shook her head. "I-I...I don't know...a crab leg?"

He looked at her as if she just told him that façade was pronounced 'fakade' and shook his head. "It's a Velociraptor Ry..."

"...With scoliosis?"

He dropped his hands and sighed in frustration and she giggled and sipped her wine. "That was bad...that was _really _bad."

"Well, it's the best I can do." He pouted and she chuckled.

"...It still sucked..."

"Well let's see your shadow puppets." Deven challenged.

--------------

One hour and a bottle of Merlot later, the shadow puppets continued...and became more and more senseless. "What the Hell is that! Oh! I know! A television!" Deven asked while laughing and shaking his head.

"It's a refrigerator!" Riley replied and Deven laughed.

"Close enough..."

"Nu uh! It's completely opposite."

"Hey! You guessed duck on air plane and I gave you the point!"

"That's cause I'm adorable when I'm dumb."

"Glad I could finally get you to admit that you're _always_ adorable..."

She huffed. "I'm taking that as a compliment..." Deven chuckled and poured a little more wine into his glass, even though they'd both had plenty.

"Well good...cause it's true." Deven replied seriously and she furred her brow.

"That I'm adorable or dumb?" Riley asked, his intention of complimenting her having gone over her head...Deven gave her a look as her answer and she ducked her head and sipped her wine. "How long has the power been out?" She asked randomly, desperate for a change of conversation.

Deven shrugged. "I dunno...long enough for us to get wasted."

She chuckled and nodded. "Eh, 'member the days when we could get shit faced and not feel anythin in the mornin?" She drawled.

"You mean yesterday?" Deven joked and she laughed. "Yeah...damn we're gettin old." Deven replied sarcastically and she smirked.

"Yeah...24 and 26...we're old farts. I don't think my geriatrics doctor would appreciate me drinking all this wine." She countered and Deven laughed hysterically, Riley soon joining in...both were two drunk to notice that the comment wasn't that funny. Riley had laughed herself back into a laying position, head on her pillow with her legs tucked underneath her as she laid. The laughter subsided and Riley reached behind her to peel the wax that had dripped onto the hardwood floor of the walkway between the carpeted dinning room and living room.

Deven watched her do so, and then let his gaze travel down to the skin that was exposed on her stomach, her shirt having ridden up because of her arms stretched above her head. She finished her small amusement and looked around absently before her eyes settled on Deven as he watched her.

She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it when she realized her vocabulary had escaped her. Deven set down his wine glass and crawled over to Riley's legs, then slowly up towards her face. His motions were slow, and seductive, making Riley's mind race in protests.

_Oh God...no. Don't do it Riley. Pull away. Don't do it...no...STOP! _

Her mind demanded, but the wine and need of familiarity kept her still, and allowed Deven's soft, memorable lips to brush over hers. Her breath quickened, whether it was from the panic or excitement of what was about to happen, she didn't know...all she knew was that when his perfect, silk lips pressed harder into hers...she let go...

...and gave into the dark side.

**/-/ Present /-/ **

The sudden switch from hot to cold water snapped Riley out of her reminiscence and she gasped and turned off the water, and brushed away the tears she didn't know were there.

She felt like she had done something horrible...which she had.

She felt as though she had a dirty little secret...which she did.

She felt as though she had just betrayed and cheated on Nick...which technically she didn't...but it sure as Hell felt that way. And when you're a woman your feelings and gut instincts are all you have...so it was understandable why Riley was confused as Hell. In principle, she shouldn't have been feeling that way, she had no reason to. She and Nick had broken up horribly. Deven was simply a rebound, at least in her mind. The lasting question was...was that what this was to Deven?

She stepped out of the bath tub and wrapped the towel around her body and sat down on the toilet seat lid. She wasn't ready to leave the safety her bathroom provided, and enter into the horror that was her bedroom. She sighed and ran her hands through her tangled hair, until the knock at the bathroom door made her bolt off her seat. She opened her mouth to reply, but quickly shut it, fearing that if it was anyone besides Deven she'd have to kill herself.

"Riley?" Deven whispered through the door and she released a breath and opened the door enough to stick her head out.

"Yeah?" The steam from her shower filtered out around her and Deven swiped it away.

"I just...I woke up and you weren't there...I wanted to make sure you were okay...did you scald yourself?" He asked, noticing the skin on her arms was almost raw.

She gasped and looked down, comprehending that she had rubbed it virtually red when she had been remembering the 'sin' she had committed last night. "Yeah...I uh...I zoned out in the shower." She lied and Deven eyed her suspiciously, but nodded after a moment. He looked behind him for no particular reason, then back at Riley nervously.

"Are you okay...? Was it...it...was too much wasn't it?" He said and sighed softly and bit her lip and looked down, not confirming or denying the accusation. She sighed and dragged her gaze back up to Deven.

"We need to talk." She replied and Deven sighed and nodded.

She opened the door and stepped into the room and went to her closet for her robe. She turned to face the closet, and Deven turned away to give her privacy. She slid off the towel and threw the Olive green (ha ha ha...irony is a bitch) cotton bathrobe over her shoulders and tied the knot to seal it. She turned back around and coughed so Deven would know he could turn around and he ran a hand nervously threw his hair. She nodded towards the bed and sighed as they sat down.

"Look...I uh...I know you know about Nick and I so...you know that this is..."

"Casual." Deven finished and she waved her hand slightly.

"For lack of a better word." She sighed and turned to face him, tucking one leg underneath her. "Dev, I want you to know that...even though this was casual...it wasn't random, and it wasn't about opportunity. If it had happened with anyone else...well it wouldn't have. I didn't...I didn't plan that, this, but I didn't just jump into it. Like I said, this wouldn't have happened with anyone else because I was...craving familiarity. I wanted someone who...who knew me. Who...knew what they were doing." She rolled her eyes. "I know that makes me sound like a proverbial slut but...I just-"

"I know Ry...I get it..." He said softly, a little regretful, yet understanding. Riley sighed and dropped her head, but Deven lifted it back up and placed it on his shoulder so he could hug her. She sighed and wrapped her arms around him and sighed into his shoulder.

"...You're naked." She stated.

"I just realized that." She could hear the smug smile in his voice and she rolled her eyes and puresed her lips to hide the smirk as she pushed him away.

"Maybe you should go get your pants."

"I'll do that." He stood up quickly and walked out the door, only to turn back around to her. "...Any idea where those would be?"

She laughed and tossed him his boxers from the side of her bed as he blushed and held them up in a gesture of approval. "Thanks." And with a smirk on his lips he hurried into the bathroom shared by the guys of the house.

**--Um...so...yeah...this is the end of the chapter...so...yeah--**

_So...awkward much! Yeah, and it's only gonna get worse...stay tuned! XD Anyone who was dyin of anticipation for this chapter should thank to 'unknown reviewers' who threatened me with until I posted it...(chuckles and shrugs) I know, I know, I'm an evil person for torturing Riley and Nick like this...but its what I do best...just ask the 'unknown reviewers'...they'll justify my innate evilness. _

_(FYI, that scoliosis velociraptor/ crab leg was for you Kit!) XD_

_Next chapter will be up hopefully sometime tomorrow! Please review...I have no life (other than chemistry and Chinese babies--ps, don't ask) and they brighten my day! XD_

_I know...I'm insane. (shrugs) _

_-Incredibly Insane Futuremisscsi60 _


	24. Chapter 24

_**Spoilers: **What's Eating Gilbert Grissom...and any other episode with The Blue Paint Killer...my internet won't let me on the site to find the actual episode names...sorry...(shrugs) hey, we've all seen like EVERY episode of CSI anyway or we wouldn't all be pathetic and bored enough to write fan fiction about it...DAMN YOU CSI! YOU'VE CAPTURED ME AND NOW WE'RE ALL WAITING LIKE A BUNCH OF STARVED ARTISTS FOR SEASON 7!_

**Chapter 24 **

_(Three days later—if you're keeping count that means this is Wednesday July, 2 2006) _

Nick sighed and rolled over in his bed, trying to fall asleep, but having no such luck. He had gathered all of Riley's things and placed them in a box by his front door to give to her if she came by...that hurt more than the actual break up itself...this made it all the more real. He felt the sting of tears in his eyes and he gulped them back, causing a burning sensation in his throat. He released a sob and internally berated himself for crying again...he'd been doing this almost nonstop.

They always say you don't know what you have until it's gone...but that just wasn't true...he knew what he had...he was just stupid enough to push it away. He covered his face with his hand and slowly wiped away the tears on his face and sighed. He threw the covers off his body and stood up, his bare feet hitting the unusually cold floors, sending chills throughout his body. He slid his feet into his slippers and frowned when something at the tip of his slippers kept his feet from going in. He bent down and pulled the slipper off his foot, and reached in to pull out a bundled up female sock.

He sighed when he recognized it as Riley's and chuckled when he remembered him playfully scolding her for always stealing his slippers and keeping her socks in them because she refused to wear slippers without socks...something he said was silly but she had merely shrugged and smiled, making him accept the silly quirk. He caught himself smiling and he sighed and threw the socks into the box by the door to give to Riley.

This had to stop...weekend or not, he had to stop obsessing over loosing her...what was done was done. He had to stop moping, he was going into work until he reached the 'healthy & stable' phase of a break up...hopefully that'd be soon.

**--The Universal House—Living Room—1:34 p.m.--**

"Yeah well...at least she got out with more than the dog and a bad case of crabs." Shaun recalled a bad date his friend had once told him about, and everyone laughed besides Riley. She had been trying to join in the conversation, but found herself constantly looking over at Deven nervously. She was sure everyone could tell they'd had sex only three nights before...

"Ry?"

"Huh!" She jumped and Kiersten smiled.

"You okay Chica...?"

"Uh..." She stole a quick, subtle glance at Deven and nodded. "Yeah, just thinkin about that paper that I need to get done..." She drawled

"I thought you did that days ago...?"

"I did, but the power went out and erased all my work...so I'm behind." She stood up and went towards the stairs. "I gotta get it done...if anyone needs me I'll be at The Rio..."

"Damn...don't go to such a sleazy hotel Ry, you're writing a paper for work, class it up." Jabari replied sarcastically.

Riley smiled. "Well, y'all won't give me any peace whatsoever...and I'm more than likely gonna fall asleep doin it so...why not a nice hotel?" She sighed, "Anyway, I'll see y'all tomorrow." She jogged up the stairs to pack an over night bag, then grab her lap top, and head back down the stairs and out the front door.

**--CSI Crime Lab—Conference Room—6:12 p.m.--**

"Alright...so where are we?" Grissom asked while laying down the case file of the latest victim of the Pin-up Rapist...victim #9. Two more women had been killed since Friday, a very unusual pattern for the serial rapist/murderer. Both women followed the same patterns as before, including the evident escalation prominent in the seventh victim.

"Victim #8, Gracelynn Kesters, 20, lives with her boyfriend Mark Owers. Works at Alejandro's just off of Jeffy Street, he manages the restaurant, she waitresses there...same pattern as before...same torture plan...same everything." Warrick replied tossing the other case file onto the table.

"The only difference in this guy's recent pattern is that he's killing more frequently." Catherine stated.

"He had no original pattern, no set one anyway. The killings were at random." Nick replied.

"Not necessarily, arbitrary has often been classified as a pattern all its own. Without random killings, there could be no sequential killings." Grissom stated and Nick held up his hands in surrender.

"I stand corrected..."

"But that still doesn't get us any farther." Sara pointed out.

"Yeah, we don't know his reasons for escalating and starting a new 'pattern' so to speak." Greg added.

"So start with what we do know." Grissom directed. "Any similarities in the victim's lives?"

"Besides the fact that they were both killed by the Pin-up and fit the profile...no." Warrick informed him and sat back sighing.

"Well, their profiles give us clues to their lifestyle...if they were in shape they probably went to the gym, had diets, or if they were young maybe they were in college...we know the seventh victim, uh..." Nick sifted through the papers in front of him. "Kendra Blake was attending WLVU...and by the looks of it so were a few of the other victims...I'd have to dig back to see about the other girls." Nick replied and Grissom nodded.

"WLVU...that's the same campus that The BPK struck?" Sara asked and everyone nodded. "Man...that place has gotta be cursed or somethin..." She shook her head and began flipping through a case file.

"Well...at least now we know where to start..." Grissom said, being mildly optimistic.

**--Rio Hotel—Third Floor—Room 2B—7:13 p.m.--**

Riley sighed and reclined against the bed, only to have the ring of her cell phone make her bolt upright. She had forgotten that she had brought that with her (she often lost it or left it at her house whenever she went somewhere) and sighed as she swung her legs around the side of the bed and walked to the desk to answer the phone.

She sighed and opened the flip phone and brought it to her ear. "Hello."

"Riley?"

"Deven?"

"Where are you?"

"Why?"

"Would you quit answering my questions with questions?"

She sighed. "I'm at the Rio Hotel...I told y'all that's where I was goin. Why?"

"What room?"

"_Why_?"

"_Ry_..."

She sighed. "Third floor, 2B...why?" She repeated.

She was answered by a knock on her door and she furred her brow and went to the door of the suite's room to open the door and drop her jaw when she saw who was there.

"Had to pick the nicest suite that was closest to the ground, huh Ry?" Deven asked, a smirk on his face and she shook her head.

"What're you doin here?" She asked into the phone even though he was standing in front of her.

He took the cell phone away from her ear and flipped it shut as he had done with his. "I came to see you..." He said and slowly backed her into the room, and enveloping her in a passionate kiss as he closed the door behind him.

**--CSI Crime Lab—A/V Lab—8:02 p.m.--**

"Archie, I need you to do me a favor..." Nick began as he walked into the A/V Lab. Archie turned slightly and nodded. "I need you to run this and find me unusual activity in the parking lot of WLVU..." Nick handed the lab tech the tape that the school dean had given him.

"Alright." He popped the tape in and began running.

"I need the footage from 4:15 p.m. to about 10:20 p.m." Nick replied as his phone began to ring. He opened it and looked at the display. The little symbol informing him that he had received a text message popped up and he looked back at Archie. "Page me when you're done Arch?"

Archie nodded. "Got it..."

Nick walked into the hallway and opened the message from Sara.

_Nick, got a lead. Meet me in Lay Out Room in 10. _

Nick smiled and flipped the phone shut. "Finally...we're getting somewhere."

**--Layout Room—8:15 p.m.--**

"Sara? Whacha got?" He asked eagerly and a sly smile spread across her face.

"Security Guard at WLVU, Mr. Allen Thomas." She handed him a paper. "When Brass and I questioned him earlier and asked him of his whereabouts at the time that Kendra Blake was murdered..."

"He didn't have an alibi."

She shook her head. "No, he did. Said he was working at his second job as part of Room Service at the Rio."

"So..."

"So, I asked him where he was when Gracelynn Kesters was murdered..."

"No alibi?"

"No...same one."

Nick's face fell and he shook his head. "Uh...I'm not seeing how this is so important..."

Sara smiled wider. "Remember those unidentified fibers we found in the victims' throats...?"

Nick nodded. "The white ones...the _untraceable_ white fibers."

"Yes, well, Doc found maroon and gold fibers, 95 percent Polyester, 5 percent Spandex..." She stopped as he grin grew impossibly large. Nick sighed in annoyance and gestured for her to move it along.

"C'mon Sar, you're as bad as Sanders right now..."

She chuckled and looked back to the paper. "Hodges identified them as signature fibers, used in towels and embroidery in clothes...such as hotel towels and wash cloths..." Nick smiled slightly. "Bet you'll never guess where the towels came from..."

"The Rio..."

Sara nodded. "The security guard's alibi..."

Nick smiled. "Let's go check it out."

"I can't. I've still got some stuff to do here. But I told Gil and he said for you to take Greg." Sara replied unknowingly calling Grissom by his first name. Nick's grin grew for a completely different reason as he waited for his friend to realize what she had said.

A few seconds later in dawned on her and she blushed and looked at Nick. "I uh...I mean...Griss..." She stuttered and Nick laughed for the first time in weeks...

He held up a hand to silence her as he laughed. "It's okay Sara...I already know."

"Know what?" She played dumb and Nick shot her a look.

"I know about you and Grissom...I have for a while."

She dropped her jaw, but quickly picked it up and looked away. "He kinda let it slip about four months back...what confuses me is how y'all managed to keep it secret from a bunch of detectives and investigators for a year..."

Sara's eyes bulged. "Has it really been a year?" She asked in shock and Nick laughed at the fact that he remembered his two friend's anniversary when even they didn't...he always kept track of silly things like that.

"Yeah...yes Sara, y'all have been dating for about a year now...since uh, since the uh, the box right?" Nick stuttered nervously, trying to keep the horrible thoughts and memories from resurfacing. Sara nodded and looked away slightly.

"Yeah...well, explains why you never ask me to hang out anymore...I'm taken." She joked and Nick laughed.

"Yeah, don't wanna run the risk of getting fired..." _Or, at the time, running the risk of having my girlfriend kick my ass...then sicking her friends on me. _Nick thought, but shook the mental comments away. "So...Greggo's with me?"

She nodded. "Yeah, _Grissom _said to have the both of you report back with whatever you found." She smirked at the emphasis she put on Grissom's name to show that she didn't slip up again. Nick chuckled and walked out the door.

"Will do Sara...tell _Gil _I said hi when you see him." Nick teased and she pursed her lips to suppress a grin and buried her head in the file to hide her blush.

**--Rio Hotel—Manager's Office—11:48 p.m.--**

"So...you can't give me any information on Allen Thomas?" Nick asked and the manager shook his head and shrugged as he folded his hands in front of him.

"I'm sorry Mr. Stokes, there's nothing I can do. We work under confidentiality."

"We can get a warrant, then come back later...shut your hotel down." Greg replied and the manager sighed.

"Then go ahead...I'm not doing this to be difficult...I'm doing it to protect my staff."

"One of your staff members is a suspect in a high profile serial murder investigation...and you want to protect him?"

The manager shot Nick a helpless look and sighed. "If I let you investigate without a warrant I'll betray the trust of my fellow employees...I'm sorry, I just can't risk that...I'll need a court order." He stood up and Nick and Greg followed. "Good day Gentlemen...I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help."

He held his open palm face up towards the door and Nick sighed and nodded. "Thank you anyway Mr. Holst...we appreciate your time." Nick replied as they walked out the door. Greg sighed and shook his head.

"So...what now?"

Nick didn't answer for a minute as he thought about it. "We report to Grissom." He replied as they walked into the lobby. Nick looked around absently and almost stopped dead in his tracks as he spotted a familiar looking red head at the front lobby waiting area. Her face was buried in a magazine, abstracting Nick from positively identifying her as the woman that had unknowingly broken his heart and he squinted to get a better view.

Nick sighed in slight frustration as they exited the hotel, never getting a good look at her. _Stop it Nick, you've hallucinated her before...besides, it's probably just some red head and your mind is playing tricks on you..._

Nick tried to convince himself and it took every fiber of his being not to turn around and run back in there to see if it was her. He and Greg climbed into the Tahoe and buckled in as Nick drove off, trying to distract himself, he allowed Greg to turn on his rock music. "Are you feeling okay Nick?" Greg asked and Nick nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Well...you hate my music...and you never let me listen to it in your car..."

Nick shrugged. "I need a change of pace." Nick replied and Greg shrugged and slid in his CD. Nick grimaced slightly at the loud music blaring from his stereo, but dropped his jaw when he heard the song.

_Drink down that Gin and Kerosene,  
And come spit on bridges with me,  
Just to keep us warm.  
Light a match to leave me be.  
Light a match to leave me be. _

I keep my jealousy close,  
'Cause it's all mine.  
And if you say this makes you happy,  
Then I'm not the only one lying.

_Keep quiet,  
Nothing comes as easy as you.  
Can I lay in your bed all day?  
I'll be your best kept secret  
And your biggest mistake.  
The hand behind this pen relives a failure every day. _

I keep my jealousy close,  
'Cause it's all mine.  
And if you say this makes you happy,  
Then I'm not the only one lying.

Nick groaned in horror and pushed his body into the seat and wished himself away...so far away...maybe six feet under.

**--End of Chapter--**

_Yeah...alright...I'm evil. I KNOW! And BTW, I don't own the song (Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner by Fall Out Boy) or any of the CSI characters...this is done merely to amuse myself and a few other Chemistry patrons...(wink wink) _

_LOL...so, review and let me know how horrible I am, or how much y'all wished I'd make them make-up...(grins) or just to say hi! XD JK JK._

_-Futuremisscsi60_


	25. Chapter 25

_Alright, about halfway through this chapter this will turn into a Songfic-chapter...it's not my song...I don't own it...I don't own who does... (you'll have to read to figure out the song)...(chuckle) I was listening to it on my computer as I was typing, so the song is kinda in the chapter before I get to the song...I do that a lot...(**etacarina41** and **spacecoastchick** know what I'm talkin about!) And, the scene changes in this chapter will be different...it's only gonna be between Nick and Riley (wherever they happen to be, trust me it's not really important) but the scene change will be sown with just a simple dashed line...okay...I think that's it..._

**Chapter 25**

_(One week later...which, if this was in reality, would be my birthday... lol, little shout out to Kit! Remember that night Kit? Okay...on with the book...)_

"Deven...what the Hell was that?"

"That was sex Riley..."

She sighed and rolled on her side to face him. "Deven...we can't keep doing this...the first time was just a fluke...then a few days after that...that was just..." She sighed and shook her head. "And then every time after that...Deven we have to stop. We can't do this anymore..."

"Why not?" He asked simply and turned to face her, mimicking her position by propping himself up on his elbow.

She sighed. "Cause it's not fair...to me or you."

"Riley..." Deven started but stopped to light up a cigarette. She watched the cigarette wanting-ly and plucked it from his mouth and replaced it in her own. "I thought you and Kiersten quit together...what's up?"

She sighed and inhaled the smoke deeply. "We were supposed to quit sleeping together too...things fuck up."

"You're making this sound like we're having an affair." She sighed and didn't reply and Deven looked away. "This isn't an affair...no one's cheating."

"I'm cheating..." She replied and gestured to her cigarette. "I'm cheating on my plan to quit..."

Deven sighed. "That's not the same thing."

"Oh no?" She asked and Deven shook his head. She shrugged bitterly. "I only do them both when I'm with you...I have to sneak around to do it...I can't tell Kiersten anything. I hate lying to her Deven...I hate having this as a dirty little secret." She professed and Deven rolled back over to face the ceiling. He stayed like that for a moment before rolling out of the hotel bed and walking over to the mini refrigerator to grab two bottles of water. He sat back on the bed and handed one to Riley.

"So let's tell them."

Riley choked on her water and looked at him in shock. "No! Deven...we can't." She said and Deven seemed to deflate and he looked away. She sighed and scooted over to lay a hand on his arm. "Do you really wanna deal with the shit they'd give us for foolin around...? Casual or not."

"So...is this casual?"

She sighed. "Deven...this isn't anything. It cant be."

"What if it is?" He asked finally looking back at her seriously. She looked at him blankly for a moment then shook her head to the side slightly, her blue eyes never leaving his darker blue ones.

"It isn't."

"Why are you so scared of 'us' Riley...of 'this'?"

She narrowed her gaze and chuckled dryly. "Do you really want a recap of last time there was an 'us'?"

Deven looked down at his fingers absently and sighed. "I said I was sorry."

"Sorry doesn't bring trust."

He looked at her hurt for a moment before looking back down. "You really can't move past that?"

"I think we established that a while ago."

"This isn't about what we were...is it?" It was her turn to look away. "You miss him." He accused softly and she whipped her head back to him to glare. "So why are you here with me if he's the one you want to be with so badly?" He asked just as softly as before, but with more snide in his voice. She narrowed her gaze again and looked away. "...Because he restricted you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She snapped.

"He tried to put a label on the two of you..."

"Fuck you." She replied in a dangerously low voice and got out of the bed. She stalked over to the chair to snatch up the signature maroon and gold silk hotel bathrobe and stormed into the bathroom. She slammed the door behind her and placed her palms face down on the ivory marble counter surrounding the sink and leaned onto it to steady herself and control her anger. She mentally counted backwards from ten and released a deep breath.

Her lip started to quiver and she looked into the mirror at her reflection...all she saw looking back at her was Nick. She crumbled to her knees and sobbed. Loud, heart wrenching sobs that were sure to piss off the neighbors next to them. She curled up against the cabinets below the counter and wrapped her arms around her knees.

...This was the first time she had cried about missing Nick...she had cried about what she and Deven had done, and silly things, but never yet about missing Nick. It hurt...crying was supposed to be a relief of emotions...this just made it hurt worse. Like she was admitting that she missed him.

The tears continued to flow and she wished she had said that she loved him back...she might not have been there...Hell, she still wasn't there. But at least then she would be with him...he'd be lying in the bed waiting for her instead of the man who broke her heart.

She wasn't mad at Deven...she was angry that she had been confronted with the fact of 'labels'...Nick had scared her with that nasty four letter word. Him wanting to label the relationship as being in love scared her...when you're in love, you get hurt.

_Fuck...Paige was right..._

She thought and continued to cry. Two protective arms wrapped around her and lifted her off the floor and carried her back to the bed. Deven held her and rocked her as she cried, whispering he was sorry the entire time. "I'm sorry Honey...I'm so sorry." He apologized.

Whether he was sorry for making her cry, for bringing up the past, or the fact Nick had scared her off with the 'L' word she didn't know...she didn't much care.

Apologies were just words...the fact that he was holding her and rocking her, and _showing_ her that he was sorry meant a lot more than any damn words he could have said. "Please don't cry Riley...please don't cry." He begged and whipped away the tears with his thumbs. She curled up into the fetal position on the bed, facing away from him. He laid down behind her and held her close to him. She eventually turned and curled up into his chest, covering her face with her hand.

It was like the flood gates had been opened and they couldn't be shut. Every tear that she'd kept bottled up since it happened seemed to be released when she began crying that night. The phase of the painful tears; the ones that sting your eyes, burn your cheeks, make your mouth dry, and cause pain to your throat came upon her and she hung her head as she let herself sob.

The sounds of rain beating against the window caught her attention and she held up her head and looked over Deven's broad form to the window, the ivory curtains illuminating a pale, moon-ish light in the dark room. Deven had rolled onto his back, and brought her stretched out body half on his, half on the bed. She placed her hand flat on his chest and laid her head right behind it as the tears continued to flow silently and still from her body. She watched as the rain fluttered against the window and drenched the city outside her glass barrier.

Deven's hands ran up and down her back comfortingly and she closed her eyes and sighed, the tears still flowing. She was beginning to worry about becoming dehydrated and, as if he was reading her mind, Deven handed her the water bottle and helped her drink it. She sighed and laid back down on his chest and continued watching the rain, remembering when she and Nick had laid like this once...watching the rain pour against the house, creating a unique, natural, romantic glow on the house.

Riley closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, and slowly opened them again. Deven squeezed her tighter and she dragged her gaze to the small radio playing in the background. It was Nickleback's Far Away. She remembered the song from somewhere...it sounded familiar...

_This time, This place  
Misused, Mistakes  
Too long, Too late  
Who was I to make you wait  
Just one chance  
Just one breath  
Just in case there's just one left  
'Cause you know,  
you know, you know..._

She began a fresh batch of tears and listened to the song as she continued to cry about the one she lost...

_That I love you  
I have loved you all along  
And I miss you  
Been far away for far too long  
I keep dreaming you'll be with me  
and you'll never go  
Stop breathing if  
I don't see you anymore_

**----------------------------------------**

Nick sighed and looked out the window of his bedroom from his empty bed. The rain was coming down harder...the lights had all gone out, yet the blanket over Viva Las Vegas hadn't been classified as a storm...all it was, was rain...simply rain.

_On my knees, I'll ask  
Last chance for one last dance  
'Cause with you, I'd withstand  
All of hell to hold your hand  
I'd give it all  
I'd give for us  
Give anything but I won't give up  
'Cause you know,  
you know, you know_

_That I love you  
I have loved you all along  
And I miss you  
Been far away for far too long  
I keep dreaming you'll be with me  
and you'll never go  
Stop breathing if  
I don't see you anymore_

**------------------------------------------**

Riley rolled off of Deven's sleeping form and walked over to the window, pushing the practically see through ivory curtains away to look out on the city of Las Vegas...

_So far away So far away  
Been far away for far too long_

**------------------------------------------**

He pushed the curtains Riley had picked out away from his window and looked out on the (for once) sleepy city in envy...they weren't alone...they weren't missing somebody...

_So far away So far away  
Been far away for far too long  
But you know, you know, you know_

_I wanted  
I wanted you to stay  
'Cause I needed  
I need to hear you say..._

He missed her...he loved her...and he wouldn't ever be able to tell her that agian.

**-------------------------------------------**

She began to cry harder as she pressed her forehead against the glass window and let the cold window send shivers through her body...the rain traced along her palm from the other side of the glass as she opened her blue eyes and looked out the window once more. The feeling of no longer being alone compelled her to take in a deep breath...she felt like she was almost looking in his eyes...

_That I love you  
I have loved you all along  
And I forgive you  
For being away for far too long  
So keep breathing  
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore  
Believe it  
Hold on to me and, never let me go_

**----------------------------------------------**

He looked out the window and gripped the green curtains in his strong, long fingers and bit his lower lip confused. He felt like he could see her...like she was watching him...somewhere out there she was watching...

_Keep breathing  
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore  
Believe it  
Hold on to me and, never let me go_

**-----------------------------------------------**

Riley put her hand to her face to cover the tears that were falling. The rain continued to beat down as she came to the conclusion that she had to be with Nick...she had to be with Nick or else she couldn't 'be' at all.

_Keep breathing  
Hold on to me and, never let me go_

**---------------------------------**

_Keep breathing  
Hold on to me and, never let me go_

The song from Nick's radio came to an end and Nick furred his brow and turned around. "...When did I turn the radio on?"

**--End of Chapter...OOOOHH! Wasn't that cool!--**

_Quick! Review and let me know how much you loved/hated that little Songfic angsty/drama angle I had goin on...!_

_(I'd like to give a big thank you to Country/Rock stars everywhere, cause without your angsty heart wrenching love/sadness songs I could NEVER come up with depressing/happy chapters...) XD_

_-Futuremisscsi60_


	26. Chapter 26

_I need to apologize, I had to post this, then delete it, then post it again. So...y'all might have gotten to alerts...sorry about that. Also...I don't own Brad Paisley's I'll Take You Back...it is a kick ass song though! XD_

**Chapter 26**

_(Three days later...anyone ever notice how I always make the chapters like three or more days apart? Hmm...I just now noticed that...) _

"Riley...no. You're _not_ getting a puppy." Kiersten replied and Riley pouted.

"Why?"

"Because you work too much and I'll end up taking care of it!" Kiersten answered and Emma, Deven, Shaun, and Pot Roast laughed.

"Aww...but look how cute she is..." Riley held up the teacup silky terrier and smiled as the small puppy licked her nose. _"Aww...Kiersten..."_ She begged and Kiersten shook her head.

"Uh uh, no. NO. Don't even try the puppy dog face Bryn Riley Ann Turner...it will _not_ work...see how I'm not reacting to either of the puppy dog faces?" She replied, referring to the silky terrier.

Riley pouted again and Deven laughed. "C'mon Kiersten...let her have the puppy."

Kiersten shot him a look. "Are _you_ gonna take care of it while she's at work Pretty Boy?" Kiersten mocked and Deven smiled and rolled his eyes at the nickname Riley and Kiersten had secretly given him in high school, and he had soon found out about later...

"Yeah. I'll take care of her...it'll be like joint custody." Deven replied and Riley looked at him sort of guiltily, sucking her lips in her mouth and looking to the ground as she shifted her feet nervously. Shaun scoffed at the ironic phrase Deven had used, causing everyone to shoot him a glare, and Kiersten to punch his shoulder. "C'mon...I'll help take care of the puppy."

Riley shook her head. "No. Kiersten's right...it isn't fair." Riley replied and set the puppy back into the little kennel as they continued down the mall, all of them looking in the department stores absently. Deven sighed softly and tried to hide his disappointment. He and Riley had been awkward since their last 'encounter' a few days before. Deven fell behind the group to walk next to Riley and he nudged her arm softly. She sighed and shook her head. "Kiersten's right, I'm not doing it because of the 'joint custody' thingy..." Riley whispered in defense before he could even ask.

He looked at her skeptically, and then nodded. "Just makin sure..." He lied and put his hand on the small of her back to nudge her forward so that they were caught up with the small group of four others. Riley sighed again and looked behind her at the puppy longingly...she really wanted that puppy...

**--Yeah, yeah...I know...pretty pointless...just Riley wanting a puppy...but if you've seen a silky terrier you'd want one too--**

"What the Hell is _that_?" Jon asked as Emma, Kiersten, and Deven all came in with a small box in their hands. All the other patrons of the room looked over to the door curiously and Tony got up to walk over to them. Deven kicked him lightly in the shin to let him know to keep away.

"We have a surprise for you Riley..." Emma began and Riley smiled suspiciously and furred her brows.

"I swear to God if that's full of yellow jello and snakes I'll kill you all..." She threatened; remembering once when Deven and Shaun had done that to her, knowing how scared she was of yellow jello and snakes... _(don't ask)._

Deven laughed. "That was only once."

"C'mon Ry. Sit on the floor and close your eyes." Kiersten instructed and Riley rolled her eyes and did as she was told. She felt something small, soft, and silky land in her lap and she opened her eyes to see the tiny teacup silky terrier from the mall earlier that day. She beamed in genuine surprise and laughed as she looked at the three smiling faces of her friends.

"You guys!" She exclaimed in joy and cuddled the puppy.

Kiersten smiled. "I felt kinda bad so...we went back to the mall and got the puppy for you while Pot Roast and Shaun kept you occupied here..."

"Aww...she's so cute."

"Whacha gonna name her?" Jabari asked and Riley shrugged.

"I dunno..."

"How about Skelator?" CJ suggested and Riley shook her head.

"No...you are not naming my sweet baby girl Skelator..."

"How about Mary Jane?" Shaun suggested, a goofy grin on his face. Riley pursed her lips to suppress her grin and shook her head.

"Unless you're talking about the shoe type of Mary Janes, which I don't think you are, I'd have to say no."

"What about Daisy?" Kiersten replied.

"Nah...it's too girly." Riley shook her head.

"Dumbass?" Deven supplied and she shot a playful glare.

"_No_."

"Damn you're picky." Jabari said and Riley shrugged.

"It's gotta be perfect." Riley gasped and smiled. "Yoda!" She replied and everyone rolled their eyes.

"Should've known better..." Deven shook his head. "Miss Star Wars over here..."

Riley beamed. "I like it."

"It's not a girl's name." Emma reasoned and Riley shrugged.

"Neither is 'Riley'..._see_, we're a perfect match." She said and Jon laughed.

"Your insane."

"Nope. I'm crazy insane!" She exclaimed, on cloud nine from the baby silky terrier's presence.

**--Yeah...I was bored...and I thought Riley should get a puppy...cause that's what every heart broken girl really needs...besides admitting to her best friend what an 'uh-oh' she made...--**

Later that night Riley and Kiersten sat at the bar counter in the local, upscale Coutnry bar. Riley sipped her dirty martini and slid farther onto the barstool, pulling her dark violet and black dress farther down her long pale legs. Kiersten sipped her martini beside her and shook her long curls off her shoulder before looking at Riley. "Okay Chica...what's going on?"

Riley sighed and kept her head down, looking at her drink and playing with the straw in her drink. "Kiersten...how long have we been friends?"

"Almost 16 years." Kiersten replied automatically.

"...Ya know how that one time in high school...we made that pact...'The Sisterhood of Ben and Jerry's'?" She asked, referring to the most memorable of their 'girl's nights'.

Kiersten nodded. "Yeah..."

Riley sighed and sipped her drink again, twitling her thumbs nervously to keep from reaching into her purse and pulling out the cigarettes that weren't supposed to be there. "Remember how we promised we'd always tell each other _everything_...no matter how long it took?"

Kiersten nodded. "Yes...where's this going Riley? Are you in trouble? Are you okay?"

Riley sighed and closed her eyes. _Just say it Turner...just say it...SAY IT!_

"I'm sleeping with Deven." She blurted and reached into her bag for the cigarettes, sticking one in her mouth and lighting the end. "I'm smoking again by the way." She added and turned away from the bar to lean against it on her elbow, while still in her chair.

"Give me one." Kiersten demanded and Riley looked at her in mild shock.

"...Seriously?"

"Well I'm reeling from some of the biggest news I've gotten in a while and I think I need to scratch an itch." She replied and Riley scoffed and handed her a cigarette.

"Yeah, that's what I said when I started sleeping with Deven again..." Riley replied dryly as Kiersten turned away from the bar and took a big sip of her martini. "Do you hate me?" She asked and Kiersten shook her head vehemently and looked at her best friend.

"Never Chica...I'm just..."

"Disappointed?" Riley offered tentatively and Kiersten nodded.

"Yeah...how long?" She asked, taking a drag.

Riley sighed and did the same. "About two weeks or so..."

"Everyday?"

She shook her head. "No...but most days...and _a lot_ when we did." Kiersten didn't reply and Riley sighed helplessly and finally looked at her. "You gotta help me Kiersten...you have to make me stop."

"I can't Riley...only you can do that."

"Well, tell me things to make me stop. Make me feel bad."

"Why?"

"Because I need your help to-"

"_No_," She took another drag. "Why'd you do it?"

Riley stared at her for a moment before taking a nice, long drag from her other dirty little secret-not-so-secret-anymore. "I was sad...I was lonely...I was hurting. I wanted someone who...I wanted familiarity."

"Someone who knew you?"

Riley sighed and nodded. "Yeah...I didn't plan it. It just sorta...happened."

"Again and again?"

Riley smirked and chuckled dryly. "Sex with him is addictive. I just couldn't stop...but I have to."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Riley sighed. "I couldn't bear disappointing you...but I really need your help, so that overrides the fear."

"Are you still sad and lonely and hurt?" Kiersten asked and Riley closed her eyes, pursed her lips, and nodded.

"I miss him Kit...I really do." She wiped away a tear and put her fist against her mouth and chin to keep her lip from quivering.

"So go talk to him..."

"I can't. He broke up with me."

Kiersten rolled her eyes and shook her head frustrated. "Damn it Riley, let go of your fuckin pride! You slept with your ex boyfriend, that cheated on you and broke your heart, because your more current ex wanted you to tell him you love him! What damned pride do you have left!" Kiersten shouted and Riley gaped at her, a hurt expression on her face.

"That was harsh."

"That's the truth." Kiersten said sharply and Riley looked back at her drink. "Your motives were stupid, the outcome is harsh...and the aftermath is gonna be a bitch."

"I know." Riley snapped and shook her head and bobbed her leg on the stool while working her jaw and looking at the wall behind the bar and smashing her cigarette. Kiersten could see she was fighting tears. "It just hurts."

Kiersten sighed and nodded. "I know...but think about who it's gonna hurt more..."

"Deven." Riley answered and buried her head in her hand. "I know..." Kiersten heard her sniffle and she bit back her own tears of having made her best friend cry...but she knew it had to be done. She had to get this out. "I tried to stop it when it first happened...but I just...I couldn't." She whimpered and picked her head up to carefully wipe away the tears so that it wouldn't look too much like she had been crying. Luckily she had a cry-proof face.

"When are you gonna tell him?"

"I don't know...I just...it's gonna be hard...as cheesy as it sounds...he was my first and...and I can't forget that."

"I know...I've never forgotten my first."

Riley smiled softly and continued wiping her face. "Bobbie Dresco...I remember."

Kiersten smiled blissfully. "Damn that boy was fine." She professed and Riley laughed.

"Whatever happened to him?"

"Eh," She waved her hand. "He joined the Navy."

Riley smiled. "He was good to you."

"He was."

"And if he came back and asked to be with you, you wouldn't say no would you?"

"Not if I wasn't seeing anybody." Kiersten replied, then realized what Riley was getting at. She turned to face her friend and Riley shrugged innocently.

"I couldn't either..."

Kiersten sighed. "Touché."

Riley chuckled, then sipped her drink and sobered a bit. "...Do you think I still have a shot with Nick?"

Kiersten sighed... "I don't know...I mean, no offense but you fucked up pretty bad." Riley sighed and nodded. "And the entire break up was fucked up as well." Riley rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, please, let's not go down that road or I might have to have Deven fuck me through the mattress." Riley joked humorlessly and Kiersten groaned.

"Don't joke about that."

Riley smirked dryly and shrugged as she sipped her martini. "It's true...that's the other reason I did it...I wanted to forget about Nick...Deven was an easy solution..._wow_ I sound like a whore."

Kiersten scoffed. "No, you sound hurt."

Riley nodded slightly. "So...do you think there's a chance?"

"I don't know Ry." She repeated. "...But if he loves you as much as he said he did...I think there's a tiny possibility."

Riley closed her eyes. "I hope my pride will let me do this." She confessed softly.

"Why don't you loose some of that pride by going and fucking Deven."

Riley looked at Kiersten in disbelief. "Burn." She replied hurt and Kiersten shrugged as if there was nothing she could do.

"Hey...its true..."

"When do I have to stop?" Riley asked and Kiersten shot her a look. Riley blushed and looked back into her drink. "Seriously Kiersten...it's hard."

"The sooner you stop...the sooner you can get back with Nick."

"If he'll take me back...I messed up big time. Kinda sounds like that Brad Paisley song, I'll Take You Back."

As if God himself was playing a cruel joke on them, Brad Paisley's I'll Take You Back came out of the speakers in the Country bar. Riley dropped her jaw in horror and Kiersten couldn't help but laugh hysterically at the irony. Riley pouted and glared at the ceiling.

"That's not funny!" She accused and Kiersten nodded.

"Yep! That's **ironic**!"

Riley glared at no one in particular and sipped her drink. "Shut up you hyena." She grumbled to Kiersten, who ignored the comment and continued laughing. Riley whimpered, which dissolved into a whimper/laugh and she buried her head in her arms on the bar top.

**--End of Chapter--**

_Yep...this chapter was originally gonna be a lot longer...but I had to cut it short... (shrugs) author's call XD_

_Review!_

_...You know you want to!_

_-FMCSI60_


	27. Chapter 27

_Rating: R...sex scenes and language (rolls eyes) you know me..._

**Chapter 27**

_(Two days later July 14, 8:01 p.m.)_

"Deven...seriously...we have to stop." Riley replied as she rolled over in the hotel bed. He rolled over also and spooned against her as he began kissing soflty up her shoulder and then onto her neck, nipping at the skin. She closed her eyes and shook her head softly. "Deven...we can't keep doing this...it isn't right." She protested unconvincingly.

Deven moaned. "It feels right to me." He replied and gripped her body tighter to his as his hands roamed over her body, then dipped under the sheets to caress her naked skin. She moaned and arched her head back, in complete surrender to his touch...it was like she couldn't control her urges when it came to his touch.

That was something she couldn't understand. When she had been with Nick, if Deven were to grab her arm, or rub up against her innocently, it didn't make her want to jump him, peel off all his clothes, and fuck him on every surface of the house...

_Damn...this has to stop...I can't replace Nick with Deven...it's like apples and oranges!_

Her mind screamed as Deven gently rolled her onto her back and slid on top of her. She moaned and arched her back again in response as he felt across her naked form. She whimpered at the effect he was having on her, she knew she shouldn't be doing this...but she couldn't stop herself...and that scared her.

Deven pulled away and reached for the almost empty box of condoms and pulled one out. Riley bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut. She had to stop, she couldn't do this...but she couldn't _not _do this. This inner turmoil was practically killing her.

_C'mon Turner...get out of the bed...**stop**...think of Nick...you can't do this with Nick in your head._ Her mind told her. Just as she was about to move she felt Deven slip inside her, making her cry out in pleasure.

_Okay...yeah...no...stop moving with him Riley. Just push him off of you. You know he'll stop if you tell him to. He has before. Just say it...say the words. _

Her mind commanded, but her body wasn't listening as she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist as he thrust into how he knew she liked it. She moaned loudly and arched her head back while clawing and dragging her nails down his back. Deven gripped her hips tightly, and rolled to the side, manuevering her so that she was now on top and in control. She arched her head back at the new sense of power and began to ride him roughly.

_Riley...damn it girl stop! Stop it! Oh God...okay...think of Nick! Nick! Nick! Nick! _

Her mind screamed and she cried out again in pleasure as Deven grunted along with her. His finger dug into her hips and she whimpered at the mix of pain and pleasure.

_Okay...thinking of Nick is just making this worse..._

Deven rolled again, so that he was on top and in control once again, filling her completely with each passion filled thrust. He pounded her into the mattress, something that actually didn't happen that often with them. He was mostly soft and gentle, but every now and then Deven completely let loose, causing Riley to loose it along with him...resulting in sheer bliss between them.

_Bryn Riley Ann Turner stop it NOW!_ Her mind demanded. _Think of how much you miss Nick! Think of Nick!_

"Nick." Riley moaned unconsciously, and all movement stopped. Her eyes flew open as she realized what she had said, and she bit her lip at the look on Deven's face. He gently pulled out and off of her and sat on the other side of the bed, as far away from her as he could get.

She squeezed her eyes shut and sighed. "Deven..." She touched his shoulder and he jerked away.

"Don't you mean Nick?" He snapped and stormed off into the bathroom, peeling the condom off as he did so. She hung her head.

_Well...that sucked completely...yep...I'm pretty sure it doesn't get any worse than that. _

"Fuck." She swore and crawled out of the bed, wrapping the sheet around her body as she did so. She went to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Deven..."

Silence.

"Deven...I..." She sighed. "I'm sorry." She apologized softly, and the door opened. He had put his boxers back on and was now leaning against the door frame. She bit her lip and looked down.

"What the fuck are you doing with me Riley?"

She closed her eyes and slowly dragged her face back up to his and opened her eyes. "Deven-"

"Riley..." He began sharply, but his face and tone softened and looked away, not able to look her in the eyes. "Why are you with me?"

"I told you Dev...I wanted someone who knew me."

"Riley...I-I...I know that...that you aren't...you don't care about me as much as I care about you." She began to object but Deven shook his head. "Are you in love with me?" He asked and she didn't answer. Deven nodded slowly. "I'm sorry." He apologized and she looked at him confused.

"Why are_ you_ sorry?"

"I was being selfish."

"_You _were being selfish? I was the one using my best guy friend as a _sex toy_." She replied and Deven shrugged.

"If you hadn't been with me...would you've gone back to him?" She didn't answer. "Yes..." He said for her. "I was...I missed you." He confessed. "I wanted you however I could have you. When you left...I...I didn't..." He struggled to talk and he looked down ashamed. Riley closed her eyes and tried to ignore the tears silently falling for him. "I didn't want to accept it. I knew that I'd messed it up with you...I knew I lost your trust and respect and love...and I didn't want to believe that. Because...because I couldn't loose someone else I loved." He said and she looked at him, knowing where this was going.

"You know about my mom...and how she left just when I was two...I barely knew her...but she was still my mom...then...then I became a burden to me dad." He crossed his arms across his chest and scoffed. "I guess its kinda hard to score with sluts when there's a screamin toddler in the next room." Deven admitted bitterly. "So when he split when I was five...I just gave up...I figured when I went to stay with Shaun that they'd eventually leave too...that when they moved that I'd be left behind again." He sighed softly and wiped at the tears that were unconsciously falling.

Riley took his hand and sat him back down on the bed so he could finish talking.

"But...but then they uh...they brought me with 'em to Texas...I didn't...I didn't think it'd last, and that they'd send me back or leave just like everyone else. But they didn't...Shaun was always there. Then...then I met you. And I never told you this...but I fell for ya instantly." He smirked slightly and she blushed and looked away. "I remember Shaun, Pot Roast, and I would always give any guy you ever met shit, because I was jealous...even Jabari...God I _hated_ him because he'd constantly hit on you. So...when we finally got together...I was scared, I thought you'd leave too." He chuckled dryly. "Then I told you I loved you..."

Riley sighed and looked away embarrassedly. Deven grabbed her hand and continued, both of them sitting on the bed half naked, staring at the wall next to the bathroom door. "That didn't go so well." She whispered and Deven chuckled.

"No...no it didn't. But you were worth it. You eventually said it back...and then...then I fell even harder. I just...I really couldn't see myself with anyone else. It was like you were the absolutely only one for me...and that scared me..."

Riley looked over at him confused. She'd never heard this part of the story before...

"I had never had that serious of a relationship before...so when I fell for you I was freaked out. I thought I was loosing my mind, or at least control of it. All I thought of was you...I was addicted. I couldn't...I hated being without you...I remember I'd watch you sometimes and it'd be hard to breath. You'd be doing somethin simple, like folding laundry, or reading a book, or _anything_...and I'd feel so over whelmed that I'd have to go outside and learn the art of breathing all over again. I couldn't stop myself from being around you cause I loved you so much."

Riley bit her lip and wiped at the tears on her face with her free hand as Deven continued.

"I was terrified that you'd leave me just like everyone else...so..." He took a deep breath. "So I purposley fucked up...I...I slept with her...because I was scared...and I didn't want to tell you cause I didn't want to seem weak in front of you...kinda like now." He replied dryly and she reached over and wiped the tears off his face, letting him know it was okay. She let her thumb linger on his cheek and he dropped his head and continued. "I never did get a chance to tell you why...that was like the one question you _never _asked..."

"I didn't really want to know." She confessed and Deven nodded.

"I broke your heart...and I could believe I hurt you that much. I felt...I _hated_ myself...and then when you left...I just...I lost it."

She nodded softly. "Shaun said you didn't get out of bed for almost a month."

"It was more than that..."

She looked over at him, her mouth slightly ajar, but then she closed it and looked away.

"I uh...I was going to break it off with her...I actually did the night you found out...but uh...I don't think she thought I was serious..."

Riley scoffed and shook her head. "Or she was just insane."

"I think it was a mixture of both."

"Burn." Riley said simply and Deven nodded.

"Yeah...she was kind of a crazy psycho bitch...anyway...I don't think I ever told you why it hurt me so much that you left, besides the obvious reasons..."

She looked over at him confused.

Deven hung his head again and closed his eyes. "That was, the night you left...that was the night I was gonna propose to you..." He whispered and Riley felt the air literally be sucked from her lungs. Her eyes clouded over with tears and she looked away and fought the urge to drop his hand and curl up on the bed. "I asked your father, that's why he went after me with the shot gun when he found out what I did," He chuckled softly and humorlessly. "I had the ring all picked out...Hell, I've still got it." He declared and she dropped her jaw as Deven nodded.

"I carried it around with me the entire first year...I had it in my pocket _every day_..." He chuckled humorlessly. "It's in the box at home right now...I just...I couldn't sell it." He admitted and she gulped and tried not to be too obvious about the fact that she was crying. "I had it all planned out..." He admitted softly and she felt like her chest was closing in on her.

_Okay...I could have lived with never knowing that..._

"I um...I literally felt like I was dying when you left...I could eat, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't do anything. I just...everything fell down around me. It was like it wasn't worth it without you...then, then the group started hanging out again and...and I got a little better, just being able to _see_ you. But...but you came home with...with..._him_." He said softly. Riley looked away and silently prayed that she could go deaf and selfishly not have to hear anymore of this. "I uh...I became like...incredibly jealous, when I saw him that morning...I left and I went home and I stayed in bed for like three weeks. I couldn't stand the thought of you being with someone else...I still can't. So when...when he started comin around again...I was Hell bent on getting you back. I just...I couldn't stand it that someone else had you the way I did. And it took a good long talk with Jon to get me mildly straightened out that you weren't mine anymore...I couldn't have you."

Riley sniffled and tried to be strong and tried to pretend that she wasn't crying. It was Deven's turn to reach over and brush her tears away. "I didn't like it...but I eventually gave up...like the day before you two split up...then all the sudden you were at home more often, and you seemed depressed...so I asked Kiersten what happened..."

Riley looked over at him and he shook his head. "All she said was that you two weren't together anymore. And I thought...that maybe I could have you again...but I was scared...I still am."

"Of what?" She asked softly.

Deven looked up and away from her, not strong enough to admitt this to her face. "...Of still being in love with you." He breathed and she looked down to their entwined fingers. She wanted to say something..._anything_...but she couldn't. No words came to mind or voice.

He sighed and scooted back on the bed to recline against the pillows. She watched him and then followed his movements, mimicking his position next to him. Her mind raced with all the information he had given her. Wasn't this what she had wanted...closure? Yes...for the longest time that was what she had prayed for...so why did it hurt so much?

She sighed and rolled over to face his side, and slide the sheet that was keeping her decency up and over his body. He reached down to the floor for the comforter and threw it over them. She got out of bed and went over to the wall to turn off the light, then crawl back into bed.

Both of them knew it was a sucky way to end the conversation...but they were both too tired to continue on. Deven sighed and slipped an arm underneath her and rolled her over to him. She sighed and rested her head on his chest, letting her eye lids slowly close, and the rhythm of Deven's heart beat put her to sleep.

**--Rio Hotel—Fifth Floor—5B—3:18 a.m.--**

"Ugh...what the Hell...?" Riley mumbled and rolled over on her side, folding her arm back behind herself, and running the other hand across her face tiredly.

Deven moaned in protest and rolled over, gripping her tighter. "What was that?" He mumbled. They were answered by two more loud knocks at the hotel room door. She sighed and rolled out of the bed. "I got it." Deven said and she shook her head.

"Nah...I'll get it...I'm already up." Too tired to grab anything other than the sheet, she wrapped the maroon and gold lined sheets around her body as she walked over to the door and unlocked it and opened it enough to stick her head out.

She felt her heart skip a beat, her blood run cold, and her breathing stop when the last person she expected to be at the door...

"Excuse me Miss, The Las Vegas CSI Department needs to search this room." The one and only Nick Stokes informed her and she shook her head slightly and closed her eyes. No way was her ex-boyfriend and his crazy haired friend at her hotel door...

"Uh...I..." Was all she could say. "Yeah just let me-" She was interrupted by the deep baritone voice from in the room.

"Riley...who is it?" Deven asked and peaked from around the corner of the suite's mini hallway. His eyes widened when he saw Nick and the two other unknown men.

_Why doesn't Nick look more surprised?_

Riley thought and closed her eyes, dropping her head momentarily. "Just a second." She said and closed the door.

Nick worked his jaw and shifted his weight, trying to ignore the fact that Greg and the hotel manager standing next to him (whom he knew nothing about) was giving him questioning looks.

_Probably wondering what the Hell my 'girlfriend' is doing in a hotel suite with another guy..._

Nick thought, recalling the fact that Greg still thought he and Riley were still dating. Grissom was the only one who knew, though Warrick was getting suspicious. Nick shifted again and tried to keep a straight face as the door opened and Riley and Deven both exited, both fully dressed...unlike before.

He saw Deven stand protectively close to Riley as they exited the room and Nick gripped his kit tighter and narrowed his eyes on the younger man as he and Greg went into the room. The hotel manager closed the door behind them and waited in the hall with Deven and Riley. "Hey, Nick wasn't that-"

"Shut up Greg." Nick grumbled and tried to keep the creeping knowledge of what they were doing out of his mind.

"_Okay_...were do we start?"

"You take the bed room...I'll take the front room." Nick replied, not really wanting to know what Greg might find, or witness the discovery none-the-less.

Greg nodded and slipped on the hideously orange glasses, and tentatively pulled out the ALS. He wasn't too psyched about being the one to discover the evidence of Nick's _'girlfriend cheating'_ on him (_keep in mind folks, Greg still thinks they're together_).

Nick shined the ALS across the couches and found a tiny drop of blood near the corner of the couch. "Probably from the altercation..." Nick said to himself, before swabbing the blood and putting the sample in the box, and marking it correctly. he continued throughout the living room, torn between being happy and being disappointed of finding no evidence of anything...

If he did find it, it would mean one of two things; Riley and Deven had gotten busy in the living room, or this was where the death and torture of Kendra Blake had occurred.

If he didn't...they were that much farther from finding this guy.

Nick sighed and walked back into the bedroom, disregarding the glow from the bed as he looked at Greg, ignoring the bed as if it wasn't even there. "You done in here?" Nick asked and Greg nodded. Nick chose not to ask the routine question of 'did he find anything'. The shining bed was evidence enough...he didn't need to have it rubbed in his face that the woman he loved was banging her ex.

"Fingerprints?" Greg asked and Nick shook his head.

"Nah, living room was whipped clean. You?"

Greg nodded. "A few on the nightstand..."

"Finish up in the hallway. I'll take the bathroom." Nick ordered and reluctantly walked into the bathroom. He closed the door behind him and looked down to see Riley's discarded bra and panties set next to an open duffle bag of clothes, a lap top, and medical books. He sighed and got to work processing.

**--Rio Hotel—Hallway—5:26 a.m.--**

Riley sighed softly and leaned her head against the wall, closing her eyes momentarily. They had been in there processing for over two hours, and frankly, all Riley wanted to do was build a time machine and go back to before she and Deven fell asleep.

_Actually...if I'm wishin for a time machine, I'd go back about a month a start this all over. _

She sighed again and let her mind slip off to 'sleepy land' as she waited for them to finish up processing her 'sin' so she could crawl under the darkest rock she could find and die. Deven sighed and looked over at her, leaning against the wall opposite her. Despite his deep feelings of loathe and jealousy towards Nick, he really wished that he could have not been there when Riley answered the door, for her sake.

_No doubt I just made her chances at happiness less of a chance..._

Deven thought as the hotel room door opened and Nick and Greg appeared in the hallway. The manager had taken off an hour ago, leaving them all to do what they needed to do while he attended to the needs of the other clientele. Nick looked over at Deven and glared, while Deven shifted his weight and looked at his feet nervously, in a very un-Deven-like manner. Nick slowly looked over to Riley's sleeping form and slightly shook his head.

_That girl could sleep through anything..._

He looked over at Deven as if to signal for him to wake her up, Deven practically ran over to her and knelt next to her sleeping form. He brushed a piece of hair from her face, making Nick glare at the back of his head. Nick quickly looked away from them in a mixture of pain and odium, remembering when he had been the one to do that. "Riley..." Deven said softly and she inhaled deeply and stretched. Deven mumbled something to her and she opened her eyes and looked around confused before realization hit her and she stood up quickly.

Greg looked around uncomfortably as he, Nick, Deven, and Riley stood in the hallway, not saying anything. Riley shifted, but then seemed to gain her courage back. She stood up straight and looked Nick square in the eye. "Can we go back in there yet?" She asked.

Nick nodded. "Yeah, you may want to wait a few minutes. The fingerprint powder is kinda strong, wouldn't want ya gettin light headed." Nick stated and she scoffed and shook her head. Nick narrowed his gaze, as did Riley, and the two set off in a full on stare-down.

"_Okay_..." Deven said and walked back into the room.

"I'll see ya in the car Nick." Greg replied, but Nick ignored him. Once they were finally alone, she spoke.

"What?" Came Riley's pissed off Southern growl.

Nick chuckled dryly and shook his head. "Nothin..." He grumbled and she shook her head.

"Don't give me that 'this-doesn't-bother-me' shit Nick, _you_ broke up with _me_."

"Yeah, and you went back and screwed your ex through the mattress." Nick snapped and Riley shot him the dirtiest look she could muster. It was enough to make Nick's eyes widen and look down.

"That is none of your fuckin business." She snapped.

"Yeah...how you fuck up your relationships is up to you." Nick saw her arm raise slightly and twitch but she slowly lowered it back down and relaxed it. Nick sighed softly, relieved that she hadn't just knocked his lights out. "I'm sorry." He said softly. "That was out of line."

"Yeah. It was." She replied, biting back the tears at the sting of his words. He opened his mouth to say something but she interrupted him. "Go back to work Nick...I know it's really demanding." She snapped and stalked into the room. Nick watched her go, his heart falling about a hundred feet as he slowly walked back down the hallway, to the elevator and watched her closed door for as long as he could, wishing she'd run back out and into his arms...she didn't. And the doors closed, impeding his addiction from view.

**--End Chapter...Okay, I know...how mean am I! But hey, at least they got somewhere...besides that whole depressed phase that kills us all!--**

_Alright, I wrote like everything but the last two lines last night at 4 in the morning (because I'm a night owl and I have no life) and I was listening to Country songs...which means I was tired and depressed. (Sigh). But I was laying down about an hour later and I sorted out the big mess they're in! (Jumps up and does happy dance) YAY! So...we should be moving somewhere and outta this 'I'm-so-EMO-cause-I-miss--and-I-could-just-die'_

_So anyway, I'm in the process of moving and all my chapters may be a bit late... (as in I may not be posting two a day...) XD_

_So leave me reviews to motivate me to pack faster so I can get back to my addictive book! XD_

_-The-Ever-So-Addicted-Futuremisscsi60_


	28. Chapter 28

_I only own Riley, Kiersten, Emma, and Yoda...no one else..._

**Chapter 28**

_(Three **weeks** later...lol XD)_

"Is Puppy Chow any good?" Riley asked, gesturing to the tiny bag of dog food, and Kiersten rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, it's the best, I would know cause I eat dog food on a regular basis." Kiersten replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm. Riley smirked and adjusted the tiny puppy under her arm.

"A simple 'no' would have been fine Kit..." Riley replied as the three women continued down the isle.

"How old is Yoda?" Emma asked and Riley thought back.

"Um...I think she's only a few weeks...maybe a month or so." Just then Riley's phone started ringing. She flipped it open quickly, for the harsh beat of Will Smith's Switch came from her phone. Riley smiled. "Tina..." She stated and answered the phone with a smile. "Hey T...whoa, whoa, whoa. Hang on Honey...yeah, just calm down and tell me what's up..." She sighed and shook her head. "Yeah, alright...yeah, meet us at my house in about a half hour alright...actually make that an hour. The girl's and I will need to pick up some supplies for this." She nodded and sighed. "Okay, we'll meet at your house Hon...okay." She hung up the phone and turned to Emma and Kiersten. "We've got a problem."

"Warrick and Tina trouble?" Kiersten guessed.

"Big time."

"What happened?" Emma questioned and Riley sighed.

"I don't really know...she was crying and talking really fast. I'm calling an emergency girl's night. We need the supplies." Riley informed them and the girls nodded, and separated to quickly find everything they'd need for a girl's night.

**--The Brown's House—Living Room—6:23 p.m.--**

"Oh my God T." Riley said in shock and laid a hand on her friend's arm.

"What did he say after that?" Kiersten asked.

"I hope nothing...he's said far too much already." Emma noted and took a long sip of the margaritas Riley had made for them all, the plus side of having a professional bartender at your disposal.

Tina sniffled and wiped her eyes, knowing she looked horrible, but she was too miserable to really care. "He said 'Well then maybe we shouldn't be together!'" She did a poor impression of her husband and all the girl's jaws dropped at the words. "So I told to get the Hell out of my house...then I called you Ry."

"God...T...I'm so sorry." Kiersten replied and Riley sighed and shook her head in anger, grabbing the empty pitcher once filled with margaritas and stormed into the kitchen to make the second round.

"Men are fucking ass holes and should be kept in a kennel until we need them, then put away when we don't." Riley demanded, making Yoda bark in approval. All the girls temporarily forgot their anger to laugh and cuddle the little puppy. Riley sighed and continued making the margaritas. "I just don't understand this...I mean; I know y'all have had your fair share of arguments...but _this_? This is just..." She shook her head again and brought the pitcher back into the living room, tearing open the box of Godiva chocolates.

Tina shook her head slowly. "I know...I can't believe him! Like he thought that I would actually do that to him...!" She sighed and rested against the bottom of the couch from her position on the floor.

"Men are scum..." Kiersten said and Emma laughed, causing all the girls to stare at her in bewilderment.

"Oh...sorry, just reminded me of this little rhyme thing I heard in Jersey when I was in high school. It goes, 'Boys are cheats and liars, they're _such_ a big disgrace. They will tell you anything to get to Second base-ball baseball, he thinks he's gonna score. If you let him go all the way, then you are a whore-ticulture studies flowers, geologists studies rocks. The only thing a guy wants from you is a place to put his cock-roaches, beetles, butterflies, and bugs. Nothing makes him happier then a giant pair of jug-glers an acrobat, a dancing bear named chuck. All guys _really_ want to do is f-orget with no such luck'."

By the end of the rhyme all the women were rolling on the floor laughing. After a few minutes they settled down, and all simply laid there, thinking of the disgrace that are men.

"That reminds me of this ass I had a one night stand with a couple nights ago-" Kiersten began.

"You had a one night stand recently?" Riley exclaimed. "What the Hell? Why didn't you tell me!"

Kiersten laughed. "I couldn't find you...little did I know you were off fucking Deven." She replied.

"Oooooh!" Emma replied like a little kid.

"What! As in your ex- Deven!" Tina asked in astonishment.

Riley rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah...thank for that _lovely_ trip down memory lane Kiersten." She poked her best friend in the ribs and Kiersten chuckled.

"Any time Chica."

"So wait...what happened?" Tina asked confused.

"Yeah, I still don't know the whole story..." Emma added.

Riley sighed. "Long story short, I was lonely, I had needs, Deven fulfilled them-"

"For a good two weeks." Kiersten added, earning another poke from Riley.

"Yes, _thank you_...for about two weeks...then we talked and...stopped." She finished, leaving out the fact that they had in fact been caught by Nick...Kiersten was the only one besides Riley and Deven who knew that... (except for Greg and Nick).

"Yeah...what a fun time its been." Kiersten finished.

"Well, we do live in the City of Sin." Tina pointed out.

"Damn...and I thought _Jersey_ was bad!" Emma exclaimed and took another sip of her drink.

"Well, that's Viva Las Vegas for ya...okay..." Riley moaned while struggling to sit up. "We need a chick flick...what's everyone in the mood for?" She asked while digging through the bag of DVDs she had brought over.

"How about...Pretty Woman." Kiersten suggested and everyone nodded in agreement. Riley pulled out the movie and popped it into the DVD player.

About ten minutes into the movie Tina sighed. "I can't believe he thought I was sleeping with Dr. Almers...I just...that was ages ago."

"It was just a year or so ago." Emma pointed out.

"A year or so is a lot of time..." Riley defended.

Tina nodded. "Ya know, truthfully...I always thought he had something on the side."

"With who?" Kiersten asked, turning away from the classic Julia Roberts flick.

Tina sighed. "The blonde he works with...Catherine Willows...it just," She sighed. "It seems like there use to be something between them. I asked him about it and he said they were never together, Catherine was just his friend and co-worker...but I'm not stupid."

"Do you still think he was cheating?" Kiersten questioned.

"I don't know...I read in a Cosmo that often, if a guy is cheating or having thoughts about it, he'll try to deflect suspicion that really isn't there by accusing the girl of cheating...it's like a defense mechanism."

"Eh, but how reliable can a Cosmo magazine be?" Emma asked.

Riley shrugged. "That's what happened with Deven and I..." She thought back to when Nick had accused her of cheating five or six months back.

_Whoa...was he cheating on me? Or did he really just think I was cheating...? Nah, nah, he wouldn't have cheated on me...at least I hope not._

Riley thought and quickly drank back her margarita. She sighed. "I need a cigarette." She mumbled and Kiersten raised a brow. "Hey, I quit one addiction this month...I'm not Super Woman." She replied and Emma laughed. Riley slipped out the front door and casually lit her nasty habit. Her mind was still reeling from the fight Tina and Rick had, she felt bad for her friend. She knew they had been going through some problems lately, but she always figured they would pass...and then Warrick had been stupid and said that the two of them shouldn't be together...

Riley sighed and took a drag. From what she knew about Warrick, that didn't sound like him. The whole yelling and screaming and accusing without evidence...it sounded like he had temporarily lost it as, in her experience, often happened when a guy thought his girlfriend (or in this case wife) was cheating on him.

Riley took another drag, and squinted when the bright glow of taillights blinded her vision as a car pulled into the driveway. It sat idling for a moment before Warrick climbed out of the drivers seat and walked over to Riley.

"Ry...hey...what's goin on? Where's Tina?" He asked confused, and then realization hit him. He should have figured it out sooner by the death glares Riley was shooting him that Tina had called her friends and told them everything. Warrick hung his head. "She told ya huh?"

"Duh...Rick what were you thinkin?" She drawled and smashed her cigarette under her bare foot, a pain she had become immune to in high school.

"I wasn't...I was...I thought..." He growled in frustration. "I thought she was cheatin on me." He pleaded and Riley shook her head.

"You know her **better **than that...she _loves _you for some unexplainable reason, Rick. Why the Hell would she go back with that ass hole of a doctor that broke her heart?"

This conversation was hitting a little too close to home, and Riley pulled the pack of cigarettes from her pocket of her shorts. She produced another cigarette then lit it and exhaled the smoke away from Warrick's face.

He sighed. "I don't know...I wasn't really thinking..." He sighed again and nodded towards the door. "How mad is she?"

"She's _pretty_ pissed...I'd advise that you didn't go in there just yet."

"What do I do?"

She sighed. "Go to a friend's house, crack open a six pack, tell 'em everything, and figure out what the Hell you're gonna do. And if you think what you have with Tina is worth saving...then get your ass back here and grovel for everything you're worth...if not..." She shrugged and took another drag.

Warrick nodded. "Alright...thanks Riley...will you call me later and let me know how she's doin?"

Riley sighed and thought about it, glancing back at the house, and then slowly nodding. "Yeah...I'll call ya Rick..."

He gave a soft smile. "Thanks Riley...I'm glad she's got a friend like you." Warrick complimented. And, never being one for compliments, Riley scoffed.

"Eh, you only appreciate me cause I _constantly _keep your wife from kickin your ass." She joked and Warrick laughed.

"Yeah...that too."

**--Nick's House—Living Room—9:05 p.m.--**

"Man, will you quit lookin at your phone!" Nick begged and Warrick sighed and wringed his hands nervously. Warrick took a long swig of his third beer.

"I'm sorry...I just...I gotta know if Tina's okay."

"Is she supposed to call you and yell?" Nick joked and Warrick shook his head.

"Nah...one of her friends is gonna call...they called an emergency 'girl's night' to bash me and my existence..."

"Yeah, girls do that. And it's in my experience that if one of us screws up, every man in the world is goin down for it. We're all gettin bashed along with ya Rick..." Nick replied and Warrick chuckled.

"You have a lot of 'girl's nights' Nicky?" Warrick joked and Nick laughed as he brought the second six pack of beer over to the table.

"Five sisters man...and Mama didn't raise no fool." Nick drawled, and the tiny Yellow Head Amazon Bird from the corner of Nick's living room chirped in agreement.

Warrick raised a brow at the little bird. "Dude, when'd you get a bird?"

"A couple weeks ago..."

"Why?" He asked and Nick shrugged.

"Cause I was lonely." He admitted reluctantly and Warrick laughed.

"Man, that's why you get a **girlfriend**."

_No thank you..._

Nick thought as Warrick laughed and a knock sounded from the door. Nick went to answer it and found Greg standing there; more alcohol, action movies, and junk food in hand.

"I come bearing gifts for the proverbial screw up."

Nick chuckled. "Get in here wise ass."

"_Hey_, that's Wiseman number 1...you can be Wiseman number 2 and Warrick can be number 3." Greg joked and set the bags down on the table before looking at a very torn apart Warrick. His face was buried in his hands, his elbows on his knees, hunched over in defeat. "Damn...Ladies and Gents...I give you, a broken man." Greg joked and Warrick slapped him in the stomach, making Greg 'oomph' and double over.

"Yeah, I may be broken...but I can still break _you _Sanders." He growled and Nick shook his head.

"Settle down fellas...we haven't even watched Die Hard yet and y'all are already gettin into it..."

Just then Warrick's phone rang and he quickly snatched it up. "Hello?"

"Rick?" Riley asked from the other end.

"Yeah...is...is she okay?"

Riley sighed. "She's, not the best."

"What? 'Not the best'? What does that mean?"

Riley paused. "She cried herself to sleep..."

Warrick's face fell and he sat back down on Nick's couch. "She _did_...even with all of you there?"

"Yeah...we tried to calm her down...but she still thinks you want a divorce."

Warrick ran a hand through his afro. "She thinks I want a divorce?"

"Well, you did say that y'all shouldn't be together." Riley pointed out and Warrick sighed and stood up and began to pace the living room.

"Well...I didn't mean it...I was mad."

"Is that the conclusion you came to just now, or is that desperate out-of-it-Warrick talking?" Riley asked, a hint of a smirk in her voice. Warrick sighed and put his hand on his hip while looking down at his shoe.

"I don't want to loose her." He replied and Riley sighed.

"Then the two of you have a lot of talking to do...you need to sort this out."

"Can we do it now?"

"Have you been drinking?"

"Only a few beers."

"Where are you? Can someone drive you over here...?"

Warrick held the phone away from his mouth. "Can you guys give me a lift to my house?" He asked and Greg furred his brows.

"Are you two gonna work it out? I thought you were getting a divorce." Greg asked and Nick placed his hand over the lab tech's mouth to keep him from making even more of an ass out of himself.

"Yeah Rick, I can drive you over there." Nick answered and Warrick brought the phone back to his mouth.

"Yeah...when is it safe?"

She sighed. "I'm havin Kiersten wake her up now...then she's gonna keep her calm and help her think this through rationally without getting all worked up so that all y'all have to do is talk." Riley drawled and Warrick gave a soft smile.

"Thanks...I really appreciate this..."

"Yeah, yeah. I know, I'm wonderful like that." Riley replied in monotony. Warrick chuckled and shook his head.

"I'll be over there in a bit."

"Bring body guards cause if you piss her off you're gonna need your buddies to keep you safe...we'll all just let her at ya."

Warrick winced and nodded. "Got it."

**--End Chapter--**

_Yeppers...this wonderful little night will carry on into the next chapter...so stay tuned! XD_

_-FMCSI60_


	29. Chapter 29

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own Hard Crime or anyone from CSI...I only own Riley, Kiersten, Emma, and Yoda_

_**Spoilers:** I Like To Watch... (But I totally re-wrote it so...I don't know how much of a spoiler it is...) BTW, as I mentioned before, disregard any timeline CSI has created with it's shows...just remember the episodes in any particular order, cause I mix 'em all up and create my own time line with them...cause I can do that XD_

**Chapter 29**

_(Same night, Nick's Tahoe, 9:36 p.m. Quick, on a scale of 1-10, how awkward do y'all think this'll be! XD)_

"Who all is here?" Greg asked as they saw a few cars parked in the driveway. The rain pouring down outside made it kind of hard to see the car's colors, and Warrick squinted to get a better look at them.

"Tina, and like, three other girls, then...I don't know whose car that is." Warrick replied and all men peered over to see the car pull out of the way and go down the road. They got a good look at the pizza delivery sign on the side of the car and Warrick sighed in relief that it hadn't been the _other_ (i.e. Dr. Almers') car that looked like that...

Nick pulled the car into the driveway and turned off the ignition, no one making a move to exit the car. "Uh...what are we waiting for?" Greg asked after a few minutes. Warrick pulled out his cell phone and dialed Riley's number. Instead of an answer, the front door opened and a hooded figure appeared.

Long, pale legs appeared from the bottom of the coat as the owner ran over to the passenger side of the car. Warrick rolled down the window and she lifted the hood slightly to get a good look at him. "Is she any better?" Warrick asked, but Riley didn't answer...she was too busy staring at Nick in shock.

Nick's jaw dropped and he looked away, out the front windshield...that he had _not _been expecting.

"Riley...?" Warrick asked and Riley shook her head to snap herself out of her trance.

"Uh...n-no. She's..." She let her thought trail off as she looked behind her nervously and sighed. "She's not doin too good."

"Get in here." Warrick replied and nodded towards the back. She glanced at Nick nervously, almost for permission, and he nodded towards the back also. She sighed and climbed in the backseat next to Greg, leaving him torn between hating her for 'cheating' on Nick, and gaping in awe at the soaked red head in a tiny white Texas T-shirt. Warrick turned around in his seat to look at her. "What's going on?"

"Well, we were trying to calm her down...and our plan backfired and now she's all EMO."

"EMO?" Warrick asked.

"Emotional." Nick answered, still not looking at her. Riley kept her gaze steady on Warrick (who didn't notice the building tension) and Greg shifted uncomfortably, wishing he could be at home watching Die Hard.

"Like how?"

"She's blasting Simple Plan from her stereo."

"_Oooh_...not good." Greg cringed and Riley shook her head while Warrick raised a confused eyebrow.

"I feel old...what's so wrong with Simple Plan?"

"They're like the ultimate EMO band...she was looking for Alanis Morissette and Avril Lavigne when I came out here so I don't know how much worse its getting."

Warrick sighed and climbed out of the car. "I'll take my chances." He replied and everyone gaped at him and ran hurriedly after him.

"I don't think that's a good idea!" Riley protested.

"Don't do it man!" Greg warned.

"Are you out of your fuckin mind?" Nick shouted and Warrick shook his head.

"Well I'm not gonna sit in the car, in the rain, waiting for her to just get even madder at me! I'm ending this now!" He declared and opened the front door.

"Oh fuck." Riley swore.

"This will end badly." Greg announced as the three of them raced in after him.

"Warrick! What the Hell are you doing here!" Tina yelled, causing everyone to wince.

"Tina, just...just hear him out." Riley pleaded and Tina shook her head.

"I've got nothing to say."

"Tina..." Warrick begged and she glared.

"No."

"Tina, just...can we talk over here?" Riley asked, motioning to the kitchen. Tina sighed in frustration and the two scurried off to the kitchen to talk.

"Whose here?" Kiersten asked coming from the living room. Emma and Kiersten's jaws hit the floor when they saw Nick standing there. "Nick!" They chorused in unison. Riley reappeared from the kitchen, motioning for Warrick to take her place.

"How do you know Warrick?" Riley asked, turning to Nick, actually acknowledging him for the first time.

"How do _you_ know Warrick?" He countered.

"I work with Tina, I met him at the hospital a while ago..."

"I work with Warrick, I met Tina a while ago..."

The two lapsed into awkward silence and Riley shifted uncomfortably. Tina's yell at Warrick made them all wince and they all shifted and headed into the living room, giving the couple privacy, but still within ear shot to hear it when they yelled. Everyone shifted uncomfortably before Greg brightened when he saw the television.

"Hey, Hard Crime! I love that show!" He replied, causing everyone to look at him oddly, but Emma to gasp and smile.

"Me too..."

Greg smiled and sat down on the couch, Emma settling a few feet away from him, both blushing profusely.

_Figures Greggo would be the one to pick up a girl while Warrick's fighting with his wife, and I'm getting death glares from my ex-girlfriend's best friend, while being ignored by my ex-girlfriend..._

Unfortunately, Kiersten's phone rang, pulling her out of the living room so she could talk in privacy...leaving Riley and Nick alone. Riley shifted again and began to wring the water out of her long copper-red hair. Nick watched as she did so, making her fidget and look away from his stare.

"How've you been?" He finally asked. _Oh, great Stokes, come up with the dumbest thing you could possibly say...that's just great. _Nick thought.

"Fine." She answered shortly. _Dude...he grew a mustache...I gigantic caterpillar, cheesy porno-stach...which actually doesn't look that bad._ Riley thought and pursed her lips to contain the giggles of her thoughts of Nick's newest 'lip-do'.

Nick nodded and shifted again. "Well this is awkward." He mumbled and she nodded.

"Yeah..." Was all she said. _Okay...I wonder if it's possible to actually die of awkwardness...yep, I think it just might be possible...yeah, I can definitely feel my heart beat slower and my blood stop circulating. _Her sarcastic mind quipped.

"Can I say something?" Nick asked.

_No...no you may not._ She thought, out loud she replied, "Um...you kinda just did...but sure."

"Uh...I just...I wanted to apologize again for the uh...the hotel 'incident' a few weeks ago...I just...I um..."

She shifted her weight. "Yeah...I wasn't really expecting you to be there..."

Nick nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but Greg interrupted him. "Hey Nick! It's us!" He replied cheerfully and pointed to the screen. "This is that TV drama thingy they did on the lab a few weeks ago."

Nick furred his brows and then nodded. "Oh yeah..." He nodded absently and turned back to Riley. "I wanted-"

"Look its Grissom!" Greg exclaimed and Nick rolled his eyes.

"Uh huh...that's great Greggo." Nick replied dully. "Anyway, I was saying that-"

"Look its me!" Greg declared and Nick gritted his teeth while Riley pursed her lips to stifle laughter and smiling.

"Greg...stop." Nick asked. "Riley I want you to know-"

"Hey, it's you!" Greg exclaimed and Nick whipped around to face the man.

"Greg!" Nick yelled but stopped short when he saw what it was...it was him...at the Rio Hotel...a few weeks ago...(_anyone catchin on here?_) Nick sucked in a breath as he saw himself enter the surveillance room of the Rio Hotel and talk shortly with the camera man, informing him that they were going to be watching the fifth floor from the night before for any evidence of the suspect or any of the more recent victims...

_Oh God...I forgot they got that on tape...oh no...oh _please_ no._ Nick begged internally.

Riley furred her brows as something clicked with her as she listened to the show...

"_Mr. Stokes, what is the date and time you are searching?" The camera man asked and Nick turned his head slightly, but his eyes never left the dozens of screens in front of him._

"_July 16th from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m." _

"_What exactly are you looking for...?" He inquired._

_Nick shrugged. "I'll know when I find it." They continued watching the footage, and the camera moved so that the viewers at home could see the footage. A few seconds into it, Riley walked down the hall of the hotel, then stopped, turned back and motioned for someone to hurry up. Deven came up and grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into the room he was standing in front of. _

_The camera swung around to capture the reaction of Nick. His eyes widened slowly and his jaw set firmly. He gulped back something and shifted his footing, trying to stay professional, but having a hard time. "Is this of any importance Mr. Stokes?" The camera man asked and Nick gulped again and shook his head as he looked down. _

"_No...no it's not." _

Riley stared at the television, feeling like someone had just slapped her right across the face. She slowly closed her eyes and hung her head before looking back over at Nick. He worked his jaw silently and refused to look her in the eye. "Oh..." Greg said and looked at Nick guiltily.

"I-" Riley began, but Nick walked out the front door, cutting off whatever Riley had to say. She closed her eyes and steadied her footing as Nick's cold brush past her almost knocked her to the ground.

Warrick and Tina's yelling had stopped and now both were speaking softly and Tina was sobbing. They seemed to miss the drama that had unfolded in only a matter of minutes...

Kiersten entered the room in time to see Nick walk out the front door. Riley paused, but followed out after him. "Nick!" She called as she saw him run off to his car and go to the driver's side. She ran after him, calling out his name over the rain, but he ignored her. "Nick!" She grabbed his arm and turned him to face her. "Hey!" Nick turned away from her. "I didn't know okay!" He turned back towards the car again and she struggled to get him to face her completely by yanking on his arm again. "Why are you angry at me!"

"I'm not angry at you!" He shouted and she rolled her eyes and shot him a look.

"Come off it Nick! You're pissed cause you found Deven and I in the hotel room!" She accused and Nick worked his jaw.

"Yeah, yeah! You know what, I am! I'm pissed that you got back together with him!"

"I didn't get back together with him!" She defended, throwing her hands in the air in surrender, only creating a current for more water to fall down onto her.

"So why'd you sleep with him!"

"Cause I was hurting! Alright! I was alone, and hurt, and I wanted to be with someone who knew me...but you and I broke up!" She replied exasperatedly. She was so sick and tired of having to explain this damned story over and over again!

"So what, y'all just slept together?"

"Yes!"

"Are you still-"

"_NO_! I broke it off that night before y'all came to the door...we..." She ran a hair through her wet and mangled hair. "We talked...a lot...I..." She shifted and looked down. "There was still some unresolved shit between us that kept getting in the way and...and we just...everything came out...we worked some things out that, if we hadn't, would've fucked up any chance of you and I being together..." She explained, Nick had to lean in to hear her over the force of the beating rain. "I just...he told me he was still in love with me..." She scoffed and looked away to wipe her face. Nick hadn't noticed she was crying, and he sighed and looked down. "You know how well I react to that..." She shook her head. "He...he told me things that, when we broke up, I-I...didn't know..."

Nick gulped and looked down. "Has that influenced your decision at all?"

She shook her head and shrugged helplessly. "_What_ decision Nick? As far as I know we're still done...I have no clue where we stand...would we...could we, try this again?"

Nick smirked. "What? Yelling and crying in the rain?" Nick asked and she smirked tiredly and looked down.

"Nick..."

"Riley...I've hated life without you...I can't eat, I can't sleep, I'm not myself...Hell, I grew a mustache." He replied and she looked down and chuckled wearily. "Riley...I thought it was bad the first time we broke up...but damn. I can't be myself without you...and I know that might freak you out, but I have to tell you this...I love you. And I don't expect, nor want, you to say it back...it's just...I have to get this out..." He looked down and shifted his footing. "I'd rather be hopelessly in love with you and not have the same feelings comin my way then go on like this...and I know that goes against _everyone's _opinions and better judgments but...I can't go back to that...I can't go back to my life before you..."

She sighed and looked down. "Amazingly..." She shook her head and looked back up at him. "...That doesn't scare me." She sighed and ran her hand through her hair nervously again. "I um...when Deven and I talked...he said...he said some things that...at any other time, or in any other way, would've swayed me...to his direction." She shook her head. "If he had told me that, about two months ago...I probably would have gone back to him...he was, the night that we broke up, he was going to...propose...and, he...he still wants to...he just..." She looked away. "I couldn't...not anymore."

"Why?" Nick asked softly.

Another tear slipped down her cheek. "Cause...cause I care more about you...there is no more 'Deven and I'...that part of my life is over and published (_ba dum bum_), there is no more 'us'...there couldn't be even if we wanted to."

"Why?" Nick repeated and she sniffled and looked down, then back up to his eyes. "Cause he's not you...as corny as that sounds...I want you...only you...and only me fore you." She replied and opened her mouth to say something else, but was silenced by Nick's mouth crashing onto hers.

That was all he needed...

That was all he had been waiting for...

He had it...

And it felt like home.

**--End Chapter...I'm seriously thinking of ending the book here...what do y'all think...that'd be a cool ending...--**

_Review and let me know if I should end it here...I kinda think that'd be cool..._

_-FMCSI60_


	30. Chapter 30

_**A/N: **They're back by POPULAR DEMAND...XD and I missed them myself so... (grins and shrugs) on we go! But first..._

_**Rating: **M... (smiles) As a treat for everyone who reviewed, I'm gonna be nice and let y'all get an actual taste of the 'Nick-and-Riley-passion-fueled-make-up-lovin'! But y'all have absolutely NO idea how hard it was to write a 'makin love scene with' the 'porno-stache' in my mind...LOL!_

**Chapter 30**

Nick pulled Riley roughly to him and smothered her with his kiss. It had been far too long since he last held her, felt her lips on his lips, caressed her porcelain skin, and let her know just how strongly he felt about her...and he couldn't contain himself any longer.

The rain continued pouring down, and the wind began to pick up, sending a chill throughout Riley's body. She shivered and Nick pulled away, only to have her hands grab the back of his head and bring his lips back to hers, hungry for more. He chuckled against her lips and turned her so that she was pinned against the car and his body was blocking the wind from her. She whimpered and grabbed the collar of his jacket, forcing every inch of his body to collide with hers.

Nick moaned into her mouth and planted one hand firmly on her hip, and the other on the car's window, next to Riley's head. The hand on her hip slid under the long jacket she was wearing and dove into the top of her shorts, carrying the chilly air and cold rain water with it. She broke away from his intoxicating kiss and shivered, a gleeful smile on her face. "You're cold." She explained, her teeth beginning to chatter.

Nick chuckled and shook his head. "We should get you inside before you get pneumonia."

She rolled her eyes. "Look at you, not even back together ten minutes and you're already ordering me around." She replied and Nick pressed his lips firmly against hers, forcing her back up against the car. He pulled away, a devious smile on his face, and she licked her swollen, soaked lips. "Let's go."

Nick chuckled. "You can't just leave...it's a 'girl's night'."

She groaned and put her forehead against his. "I _think _they'll understand."

Nick laughed and pulled away from her completely. "C'mon Turner...get back to your 'girl's night'..."

She groaned again and kept her feet firmly planted on the cement driveway. "I'm frustrated, cold, and missin you...I am of absolutely no use to them in these conditions." She concluded and Nick laughed and yanked her arm, finally making her budge. She pouted and he kissed her temple. "You're the only man I know that would tell a woman to have a night out with the girls instead of bein at home with her havin passion fueled make-up lovin." Riley drawled. Riley's use of the word 'home' as referring to Nick and the fact that they'd be together once again sent a passion like no other shooting through Nick, and he grabbed her hand and kissed her covered shoulder.

"We can't just leave." He realized reluctantly, and she moaned as he led her into the house, breaking contact from her unwillingly.

Kiersten looked up and raised her brow, but a subtle signal from Riley told her not to say anything. A wide grin spread across the brunette's face and she settled down on the couch. Riley peered around the corner to see Warrick wrap his arms around a sobbing Tina and kiss the top of her head and stroke her hair affectionately.

Riley sighed and looked back into the living room to see Greg and Emma discussing something intently on the couch, paying no one else any mind. Kiersten looked around at all the couples and sighed. She gave a lonely look to Riley, who shrugged and smiled. Just then Kiersten's phone began to ring and she pulled it out of her pocket and brightened immediately as she glanced at the caller ID.

Riley shot her a questioning look and Kiersten blushed and shrugged. "More eye conversation?" Nick whispered in Riley's ear and the red head smiled and nodded.

"Yep..." She winked at Kiersten, who rolled her eyes and chuckled as she answered the phone in a flirty voice. "Okay, I am _soooo_ beating an explanation out of her later..." Riley stated absently. She turned to Nick with pleading eyes. "_Now_ can we go...? No one's gonna miss me." She replied and Nick looked into the kitchen to see Warrick and Tina caught up in a passionate kiss. He smirked and shook his head, just as Kiersten approached them.

"Uh...something just came up...for work...would you hate me if I left?" She asked and Riley smirked.

"Nope, not at all..." Riley answered honestly as Kiersten took her things and walked towards the door. "Go get laid." She shot before Kiersten flipped her the bird playfully. Riley laughed and shook her head. "I wanna know all about it tomorrow."

"Fuck you Riley." Kiersten laughed.

"Nope, that's my job." Nick replied, earning laughter from both women. Once Kiersten was gone Riley turned to Nick.

"Now can we go...as long as we get the television junkies outta here so Rick and Tina can be alone we're home free."

Nick turned to see Emma ask something, and a goofy grin to spread across Greg's face. The two hurriedly got up from the couch and went to the two. "Hey, we're gonna-"

"Get outta here." Riley commanded, a smile on her face.

The two hurried out the door and Riley smiled and turned to Nick, he smiled. "Yes honey..._now_ we can go."

**--Nick's House—11:44 p.m.--**

They began peeling each other's clothes off before they even made it to the front door; Nick grabbed her wet shirt and pulled it over her head, making her shiver as her drenched hair made contact with her bare skin. He took both of her hands in his own and, never breaking away from her kiss, led her back towards his room. He reluctantly let go of her hands and released her lips as he kicked off his shoes and socks and sat back on the bed, pulling her shorts down and letting her step out of them before taking her hand in his again. She smiled as she reached for the bottom of his shirt to pull it over his head as he lifted his arms up.

He reclined back on the bed and pulled her on top of him, letting her thin, yet curvy frame cover his. Nick smiled at the feel of her skin against his and captured her lips with his once again. His heart was beating so loudly he was sure she could hear it over the rain and his bird talking to itself in the living room. He felt his body throbbing and pulsating at every touch she laid upon him. Her skin connecting with his was like fire, making him gasp in anticipation.

He reached around behind her to unclasp her bra and frowned when he couldn't find the hook. He furred his brows and stopped kissing her to focus solely on the tricky contraption. She smirked at his efforts and laughed when he grunted in annoyance. She pulled back and sat up next to him on her knees to hold up the front of the white cotton bra for him to see. Nick smiled in realization as she unhooked it, and he slid it off her shoulders. He grabbed her hand and pulled her back down on top of him once more, desperate to feel her skin.

She reached down and slowly ran her finger over the Texas shaped belt buckle. She smiled in appreciation and winked as she dragged her slender finger across it and opened it to reveal the button of his jeans beneath. Riley placed her hands softly on his abdomen and began trailing kisses from his pecks, to the very top of his jeans, then across the brim of the denim, and back to his chest.

She covered his mouth with hers and chuckled at the feel of his mustache against her lip as she began unbuttoning his jeans and struggled to pull them off of his body. She grunted at the effort and Nick chuckled lightly and maneuvered her off of him so that he could stand up and do it himself. She smiled and shook her head as she watched him. "Getting undressed shouldn't be this hard." She stated softly and Nick laughed.

"Honey, it's us...would it be any other way?" He asked and she smiled and scooted to the edge of the bed, draping her long legs over the side of the bed and slowly pulled the boxers off of him, letting her hands settle softly on his hips as she edged him closer to her. He scooted her up the bed so that she was reclining comfortably on the pillows of his bed. He smiled as her hair arranged around her head like a copper-red halo, and she smiled sweetly at him. He inhaled deeply, trying to calm his racing heart at merely the sight of her, and he crawled up to her form.

Nick sat on his knees at her feet and he reached for the strap of her panties to pull slowly off her body as his devious smile grew with each drawn out second that his hands caressed her body, all the while exposing her body completely to him. He let his hands slide slowly from her ankles, up her legs and settle on her knees for a moment, before slowly sliding them down her thighs; circling to her inner thighs as he did so, all the while descending down and in between her legs in one swift motion. She allowed enough room between her thighs for him to settle in between them, as he braced himself above her and kissed her once again.

She chuckled again and Nick moaned and pulled away. "What?"

"Mustache." She answered between soft fits of giggles.

Nick sighed and shook his head. "I kinda like it..." He replied, rubbing the fur above his lip.

She smiled and brought her hand to his cheek, letting her thumb caress the hair. "I do too it's just, weird to kiss." She replied, but brought his face back down to hers to prove that she didn't care. Nick relaxed against her and let his head dip to the crook of her neck and kiss her tenderly, all joking found in her a moment ago completely gone with his kisses.

She smiled and arched her neck to allow him more access to ravish upon. His hands trailed up and down her sides slowly, taking in every inch of her. Nick took her hand in his and kissed the back of her hand, then along all of her fingers, before turning her hand over to kiss her palm, then down her arm and across her chest. He repeated this on her other arm, all the while trying to keep his heart from bursting in ecstasy. His kisses continued down her abdomen, hips, and thighs, making her moan in anticipation.

Nick let his hands trail behind each kiss he planted, almost as if he was rubbing in lotion on her skin. Nick's kisses reclaimed their rightful place on her mouth as he reached over in his nightstand for the box of condoms he hoped were still there. He grimaced when he realized they weren't and was surprised to see her smiling. "I'm on the pill...it's okay." He raised his brow, then realized why she had probably started it in the first place. She rolled her eyes and smirked. "It regulates my period..." She explained and Nick relaxed and leaned back down to her.

He braced himself on his forearms above her and looked in her baby blue eyes; she brought her hand to his cheek and felt her chest swell at all the emotion she found in his deep brown eyes. He slowly and carefully slipped inside her, never breaking eye contact as he did so. She moaned and bit her lip while uttering the name she had so long wanted to say...

"_Nick_..."

He moved rhythmically on top of her as she let her fingers press into his back and slide across it, not scratching him though. His head went back to claim the crook of her neck as she arched her back, making his body curl inward as she did so, raising them both slightly off the bed. He grunted softly into her shoulder and picked up the pace, making her moan with each thrust he put into her.

"Nicky..._Baby_..." She whimpered and he picked his head back up to lock eyes with her once again as he moved within her, melding them as one. The feel of purely him and no boundaries between made the experience all that more electrifying. He began moving faster and harder, filling her more and deeper each time.

"Riley..." He whispered across her neck, his hot breath sending chills throughout her body. He reached for her hands and they entwined fingers as he pressed her hands into the mattress by her shoulders, using her as leverage to keep from putting too much weight on her smaller body. A tear escaped her eyes and he stopped the second he spotted it, and she turned her head back to him.

"No..." She protested. "_Please _don't stop..." She whimpered and kissed him tenderly, moaning into his mouth. He continued moving as he had before, watching her intently to make sure she was alright. He kissed her neck tenderly.

"_Bryn_..." He moaned, barely loud enough for her to hear and she smiled and cried out in pleasure at the use of her first name.

"Nicky...God...oh **God**...!" She cried as the sensations of him rolled across her. A sob escaped her throat, followed by another tear, but Nick didn't stop, because he knew why she was crying...he felt like crying too...

They'd been apart for too long, and now that they were together once again he felt his soul stir within him...the feeling of her surrounding him, her scent lingering in his nostrils as he breathed her into him, the taste of her skin beneath his lips, and how she moved gracefully beneath his touch...

He realized just how much he loved her. And sure enough, a tiny tear fell from the corner of his eye and landed over her heart. She opened her eyes and looked to see him crying as well and she smiled tenderly. She picked her head up and kissed next to his eye, where the tear had fallen, and then down his shoulder. She gasped as the beginnings of a climax came upon her and she arched back, being caught and held up by one of his arms. He slowly lowered her back down to the bed and kissed her passionately...with more desire, yearning, and love than he'd ever experienced.

She cried out his name and whimpered as she clenched her walls around him, drawing him in impossibly deep. He moaned out her name as he emptied himself completely within her. He stayed hovering above her for a few minutes, until he felt his arms begin to shake, and she pulled him down to cover her, still staying inside her as he did so. He sighed softly, happily, and gently and carefully rolled off of her. She curled up instantly into his side and placed her hand flat against his chest.

He snaked one arm under her waist and pulled her hopelessly close to him as he reached for the sheet underneath them. He covered her with the white sheet, keeping her closed off to anyone but him, and turned to face her. She smiled as he brushed the red curls off her forehead and caressed her cheek lightly. He leaned into her and softly kissed her forehead, then the tip of her nose, before settling his head onto the pillow next to hers.

"I love you." He whispered and she pulled him close. Nick rested his chin on top of her head and slowly closed his eyes, a soft smile on his face at the thought of having her back in his arms. He rolled onto his back, carrying her with him so that she was now lying on the upper portion of his chest, as the rest of her body was pressed against his side.

She watched the rain hit the window from outside and smiled at the thought of being in the familiar place...of being home.

"I know..."

**--Hey, guess what...it's the end of the chapter...--**

_(Smiles) that 'rain' was for Emma and Kiersten...laugh it up guys...I foresee many more 'rain' and 'white sheet moments' in their future... :)_

_Next chappy should be up sometime tomorrow...or tonight...depends on if I'm actually gonna do my homework for once...DAMN YOU AMERICAN HISTORY HONORS! XP_

_-Futuremisscsi60_


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Nick slowly opened his eyes, the smile he had fallen asleep with, still on his face. He felt for the red head that had fallen asleep next to him, and when he found nothing, he bolted upright. He looked around the room for any trace of her...

None.

"Riley?" He whispered and felt his throat closing in from the tears threatening to fall. Her clothes were gone, as well as her shoes and jacket, and everything else she had brought with her. She had left...she left without even saying goodbye.

"Nick? You're awake." She stated, a small smile on her face. Nick looked up in shock and she grinned sheepishly. "I had to borrow one of your shirts cause-" She frowned when she saw the look on his face. "Baby, what is it?" She asked and worriedly went to the bed to sit next to him.

He breathed a sigh of relief and grabbed her hand. "I thought you left..."

"_No_, I'm still here."

"Where are your clothes?"

"I borrowed your dryer...I put your clothes from last night in there too..." She replied.

"You sound sick..." He said noticing the congested sound of her drawl.

She frowned playfully and poked his shoulder. "So do you...guess that make-out session last night in the rain wasn't such a good idea huh?" She asked and he laughed and shrugged.

"I had fun." She laughed and patted his knee when he looked at her oddly. "I just realized, you got up before I did...that's friggin amazing!" Nick exclaimed and she rolled her eyes. "You deserve a cookie." He joked and she laughed.

"Damn straight I do!"

"How'd you wake up before I did?"

She shrugged. "I slept less than you did..." She blushed a tucked a curl behind her ear. "I uh...I was too exited to fall asleep...I couldn't wait to see you..." She admitted sheepishly and blushed deeper.

"Aww..._Baby_..." He replied and pulled her close to him to kiss her tenderly.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah...get off me ya big mush." She joked and pushed him away. He chuckled and looked around the corner of the hallway from his doorway.

"Did you make coffee yet?" Nick asked and she shook her head. "What, you _didn't_ have _coffee_ and you're _smiling_?Has the world stopped turning?" He joked and she rolled her eyes.

"Shut up and make me coffee Stokes." She demanded playfully, and climbed out of the bed. "And get me chocolate while you're at it."

Nick laughed and swatted her butt as they went off towards the living room. Nick slid his boxers back on and followed Riley into the living room. She yawned and stretched her arms above her head, Nick's flannel shirt riding up her thighs, giving him a nice view of the bottom of her buttocks. He smiled and walked into the kitchen and began making the coffee as she went for the cereal in the cabinet. She frowned when she saw it was empty.

"Nicky, you're out of Lucky Charms..."

He shrugged. "You're the only one who eats it, it was gonna go bad so I pitched it." She smirked and rolled her eyes. "Want me to run out and get you some?"

She laughed and shook her head. "_No_..."

"I will, do you want me to?"

"I know you will. But I'm fine. I like bagels too..."

"Umm...yeah, I'm outta bagels too."

She laughed. "Alright, well then I'll just eat a big lunch." She concluded and a sudden flying bird prevented her from saying anything further. She raised an eyebrow and looked over on her shoulder at the Yellow Head Amazon now perched contently on her shoulder. "Uh Nick...when'd you get a bird?"

"A few weeks ago...his name is Wheaty."

"Wheaty?" She asked and began to laugh as Nick shrugged innocently.

"Yeah...short for Whole Wheat."

"As in the bread...?" She asked and Nick nodded.

"I can't believe he likes you." Nick stated and she gaped at him and swatted his arm. "No! I mean that he doesn't like _anyone_...he only tolerates me because I feed him..." Nick drawled and she shrugged.

"Well...it's a boy right? Maybe he's a lil' playa and he only likes the Ladies." She replied and Nick laughed.

"Oh God..._great_, my little boy is a Ladies Man."

"Just like his daddy." She joked and then gasped. "Yoda!"

"Yes Jedi?" Nick asked while chuckling and Riley ignored him.

"Oh my God I forgot Yoda! I am a horrible mother!"

Nick's jaw hit the floor. "What?" But knowing Riley, the real situation wasn't anything like it sounded...

"My puppy..."

Nick smiled, _Figures...hey, when'd she get a dog?_

She groaned and went off in search of her cell phone to call Tina and make sure her puppy was okay. "I am the worst mother! I left my baby! How could I forget her! She hasn't left my sight since I got her a few weeks ago..." She groaned as she turned over couch cushions, and Nick joined her, then remembered he had The Browns' number. He quickly pulled out his cell phone, and got a very grumpy Warrick on the phone.

"This better be important Stokes..." Warrick warned and Nick frowned and sat the phone on the table as he clicked it to speaker phone so Riley could hear.

"Geez, you're testy. I thought you and Tina worked everything out..."

"We _did_..." Warrick hinted and Nick laughed while Riley smiled and rolled her eyes as she played with the bird on her shoulder.

"Oh, well, sorry. I'm just callin to see if there happens to be a little puppy there by any chance?"

"Riley's dog? Yeah, she's here. I've been tryin to get a hold of her all morning...till I realized her phone and everything was still here..." Warrick replied through the phone, and Nick looked over to Riley pointedly, to see her slap her head and mentally berating herself. "I think she left with Kiersten cause some of her stuff is here too. Hey, how'd _you _know Yoda was here...?"

"Kiersten called..." Nick lied.

"How do you know Kiersten?"

_Uh...she's my girlfriend's best friend..._ "Um...I just do." Nick replied and Riley rolled her eyes and gave him a sarcastic 'thumbs-up' sign while mouthing, 'Good save' as she returned Wheaty to his perch.

Warrick laughed. "Man, are you bangin Kiersten?" Warrick asked and Nick blushed and looked over to see Riley laughing at Nick's embarrassment of him being accused of sleeping with her best friend. "Dude...she's really cool, but I thought really dominant women freaked you out? If you were gonna go for anyone I figured it'd be _Riley_. She'sjust as assertive...but she's got an excuse cause she's a red head..." Warrick theorized and Riley smiled and shook her head as Warrick continued to ramble on. Nick grinned at her, never letting his eyes stray from her as he answered.

"Whatever you say man...so Yoda's alright?"

"Yep, she's fine...little freaker kept on barking though...all night."

Riley's hand flew to her mouth to stifle her laughter and Nick laughed freely. "Eh, Wheaty is just as bad..." Nick replied and Riley slapped his arm, a panicked looked on her face reminding him that no one knew about them yet. "I mean when I'm trying to sleep..."

"Uh, yeah..._sure_. Well, tell Kiersten to tell Riley that Yoda's okay...just uh...don't come over to get her for a while..."

Nick laughed and Riley shook her head. "Copy that man...just don't be late for work..." Nick instructed, and the two said their goodbyes.

"Shit...I'm dog-less, phone-less, and stuck in your clothes..."

Nick grinned deviously. "We could always get you outta those clothes..." He waggled his eyebrows and she laughed.

"You have a one-track mind Mr. Stokes."

"Yeah well...I've been without you for long enough..." He reasoned and moved towards her on the couch to start kissing her neck. She smiled and slid down into a laying position and let him climb on top of her as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Wanna make up for lost time?"

Nick shook his head, "No..." He answered, making Riley look at him confused and worried. He smiled softly and caressed her cheek with the back of his hand and knuckles. "I wanna start over..." He explained, his smile growing. "You said that you and Deven talked..." She winced slightly from the mention of his name. "Well, you said that everything was straightened out...y'all worked some things out that, if you hadn't, would've fucked up any chance of you and I being together..."

Riley smiled. "My exact words..._ah_, you listen."

Nick chuckled and caressed her cheek again as he looked all over her face, memorizing every line, curve, and sparkle. "I always listen to you...every word..." He vowed and she grinned.

"I don't doubt that for a second." She replied and Nick chuckled.

"Well, _anyway_..." He adjusted his weight so that he wasn't squishing her tiny frame beneath his ample muscles. "Now that you have that part of your life straightened out...you can start this part...with me."

She smiled nervously as he dipped his head down to kiss her neck, continuing what he had started as Riley tried to keep the thought of 'starting over' out of her mind.

**--Local Café—Saturday—August 8, 2006—10:16 a.m.--**

"_Eeeeww_!" Tina exclaimed and covered her face to shield herself from the thought.

"Gross!" Kiersten exclaimed.

"That's FUBAR..." Riley declared.

"_Way_ FUBAR." Tina agreed.

"So wait...what was it like...?" Kiersten asked, her curiosity growing. Tina looked completely repulsed as she swatted the woman's arm.

"Kit!"

"What!"

"Yeah, how big was it?" Riley asked, a little_ too_ interested.

"Riley!" Tina gasped and she giggled and shrugged.

"A girl's gotta know."

"C'mon Em, spill the details..." Kiersten instructed and the brunette blushed and shook her head while grinning.

"It was grotesque!" She exclaimed and Riley squealed as she laughed and clapped her hands, in delight of the bizarre story (_cause Riley's weird like that_). "I mean seriously...it was big...but _bad_."

"How bad?" Tina asked, getting sucked into the morbid conversation.

"**Very** bad...I couldn't even concentrate on the movie..."

"Why? Why would you do that?" Kiersten asked again. "What would posses you to put that in your house?"

Tina chuckled. "You know, he_ is_ a CSI...Rick's brought some pretty nasty stuff home with him as well..."

Emma leaned into the table and whispered as if it was a big secret. "Greg said that Grissom, his boss, keeps severed heads in his freezer..." She nodded and pulled away while surveying the shocked faces around her.

"Yeah but...growing foot fungus in your fridge!" Emma exclaimed and Riley merely laughed, thanking her lucky stars Nick never brought home anything weird...

"Does Nick ever bring home weird things Riley?" Tina asked. They had sat the woman down a few days ago and Riley finally came out with it that she and Nick had in fact been seeing each other...and now Tina was sworn to secrecy (something she was reluctant about, keeping secrets from her husband that it...). Tina had been supportive about it, yet slightly saddened that they had kept it from her, and that she had to keep it from Warrick.

Riley smiled and shook her head as she sat her ice cold water down. "Nope, thank _God_. He's always getting on my case about bringing things home actually...once, a man's foot had to be amputated and he was apparently '_in love with me'_, he was on penicillin by the way, and since he had legal rights to the foot...he gave it to me."

"No he didn't!" Tina exclaimed and Riley smiled and nodded slowly.

"I kid you_ not_. And this was one big ass foot! I'm talkin size 13!" She drawled and Kiersten laughed.

"You know what _that_ means..." She waggled her eyebrows and the girls all laughed.

The waitress came over and set their orders down in front of them, and they thanked her and continued their conversation. "So, go on Emma...what happened next?" Tina asked.

Emma sighed and shook her head sadly. "Then...he brought out the deal breaker..."

"Oh God, don't tell me...a Porcelain Doll collection?" Kiersten asked, making Riley double over laughing, remembering one time that had happened to Kiersten.

Emma shook her head. "Now, you know I'm not one to rag on a man's personal belongings..."

"You know, it's the ones with the weirdest house decors that are the best in bed." Tina added.

"Personal experience?" Riley joked, making Kiersten chuckle.

"No...I read it in a Cosmo magazine." Tina defended.

"Girl, take my advice, lay off the Cosmos." Kiersten advised.

"Cosmos can be very educational."

"So can dictionaries, but you don't see me cracking into one." Emma replied and Riley smiled and shook her head.

"When's the last time you even cracked a book Em?" She ribbed and Emma feigned offense.

"A few days ago actually..." Everyone looked at her curiously. "Kama Sutra for the not-so-adventurous." She answered and Riley gave a confused smile.

"They make those?" Emma nodded. "Right...and what were _you_ doing with one?"

Emma lifted her chin and shrugged. "I may be experienced...but not everyone is Honey..." She replied with a smile.

"Well Yee haw!" Kiersten exclaimed, raising her drink in a toasting gesture.

"Wait, wait, wait...back to the deal breaker..." Tina commanded and Emma sighed.

"Oh, yeah." She set down her drink and sighed. "He brought out...Chemistry."

"What?" Kiersten asked confused.

"Chemistry." Emma repeated.

"Isn't he a Chemist?" Riley asked and Emma shrugged.

"I don't care if you're the President. You bring a girl to your house the politics, or in this case Chemistry, stay hidden."

"What's so wrong with chemistry? Isn't that kind of essential in a relationship?" A naïve Tina asked.

"Not _that_ kinda chemistry..." Emma rolled her eyes and Tine furred her eyebrows in confusion.

"Wait, what relationship? He showed her his foot fungus, not much to speak of. They haven't even had sex yet." Riley replied and Tina shook her head.

"A relationship doesn't always have to be about sex. It's about feelings and emotions."

"And apparently foot fungus." Riley joked and Tina rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"Besides, some of the best relationships can start with sex...look at Nick and Riley." Kiersten defended and gestured to Riley, who shrugged. "_Whoa_, things aren't good with Nick?"

Riley made a face and nodded. "Nah, things are good..."

"So why the-" Kiersten did the shrug and sigh Riley had performed only a few seconds before, and Riley sighed again.

"It's just me freaking out because he said he wanted to start over with me now that everything's cleared up with Deven."

"And starting over freaks you out...?" Tina clarified.

"Yes...sorta." Riley sat forward. "But...he said we'd do it _together_..."

"Do you not wanna be with Nick?" Kiersten asked.

"No, I wanna be with him...it's just...I don't know, maybe he was right. He's farther along in the relationship than I am...a lot farther..."

"So...? Does he have a problem with it?" Emma asked.

"No."

"So what's the problem?"

Riley leaned back and sighed. "Nothing...nah, I'm just bein silly..." She waved her hand in front of her face and put on a smile. "So...Chemistry...what next?"

"Well, after Chemistry...was proofs."

"No!"

"Oh God!"

The three girls carried on the conversation, letting Riley think about her latest 'dilemma' with Nick...why was she being so worried? Since when did it become a bad thing for a guy wanting to be with you and having a clean slate? Wasn't that the good thing about new relationships? So Riley couldn't help but wonder, why did a fresh relationship with Nick freak her out?

**--End Chapter...but I think y'all pretty much figured that out...--**

_So...drama? Angst? Fluff? ...Time will tell, PS, I live for reviews...hint hint._

_-Futuremisscsi60_


	32. Chapter 32

_Alright, I think a few things should be straightened out..._

_1, I am not a nurse. I have no friggin clue what to do in ICU after a car accident (which is why you're all glad I'm not **your** nurse). The only thing about hospitals in this about hospital procedures is the organ transplantation...I just did a paper on that so I actually **know** how that works..._

_2, I own nothing from CSI. _

_3, I own Riley, Kiersten, Nurse Thompson, Jesse Franks...and anyone else not in the show. _

_4, I will sound smart when I start talking about CSI 'stuff' and medical terms in the case of the 'already passed'... (BTW, That's because I'm a CSI at heart...not a nurse). _

_5, um...I have a dog...three actually...and they're puppies. _

**Chapter 32**

_(Three nights later) _

Riley walked to the nurses' station on the ICU floor and picked up her clip board from her 'box' on the side of the desk. She flipped passed the few pages of patients she had already treated from Recovery and Surgery, and sat down at the desk to begin filling out the necessary paperwork while it was still fresh in her mind. One of the worst things about working at the most frequently visited hospitals in Vegas was the loads of paperwork each nurse had to complete.

Nurse Thompson, an older woman with a chipper personality, approached the desk and handed Riley another patient file. "Here Nurse Turner...we've got another one. Car accident, little boy, 3 years old. They're chopper-ing him in so they need you on the roof."

Riley pushed her paperwork aside and followed the nurse while throwing her stethoscope around her neck and walking along side the much older nurse. "Little boy? Who was driving?"

"The father, he died instantly. The mom is being called in from work right now."

"How bad is it?"

The nurse sighed and shook her head. "Bad...the little kid wasn't in a car seat."

Riley let out a soft growl and shook her head while quickening her pace to get to the little boy who needed her help. "Damn parent..." She cursed and rounded up the stairs and onto the roof just as the chopper was landing. The gurney was quickly carried off the helicopter and being pushed frantically towards the ICU a few floors below. "What kind of car accident!" Riley yelled to the EMT over the sound of the chopper.

"Massive pile up, this kid was underneath it all!"

"When did he loose consciousness!"

The pushed open the doors and began running down the hall, the tiny little boy lying perfectly still on the frantic gurney.

"On the way here in the chopper. His heart started crashing but we got him back up." The EMT informed her. They wheeled him into an empty room as Dr. Crobott came in followed by a few more nurses.

"Hook him up to the respirator." The doctor ordered. "Get his lungs working."

"His body isn't responding to the meds..." Riley explained, not looking up from the boy's body. "His brain's sustained severe damage." Riley announced as the machine hooked up to his heart began to beep slowly.

"We're loosing him!" The nurse announced frantically.

"Get him back!" The doctor ordered. "Get the GHS up now!"

**--BTW, I totally bullshit'd all that...I have no idea what a GHS is...or if there's even such a thing...--**

One heart wrenching hour later, Riley was the last nurse to file out of the ICU room, coming face to face with whom she assumed to be the little boy's mother. The same blue eyes that had peered up at her for a brief moment in time were now found staring hopefully at Riley, silently begging her to admit something she subconsciously knew wasn't true...

"Excuse me...nurse?" The slightly older woman asked. Her bright, baby blue eyes and long cascading, perfectly blonde hair instantly reminded Riley of her sister...

_Paige, the kids...oh dear Lord, please let them **always **remember to be in a car seat..._

"Ms, is Jesse in there? I'm his mother..."

Riley sighed and took pity on the mother, but remained professional. "Jesse Meads?" The woman nodded slowly, almost reluctantly. "Yes...yes he is."

"Is he...he's going to be alright...right" She requested and Riley looked to the ground and subconsciously snapped the rubber gloves between her fingers.

"Ma'am...I don't know how to tell you this but, Jesse has sever brain damage." The woman's probably once sparkling blue eyes clouded over with pain and tears as she tore her gaze away from Riley. "He's still alive but...we don't expect him to make it through the night...he's still unconscious. It wouldn't be uncommon for him never to wake up."

Silent, deathly painful tears fell from the broken mother's eyes, staining her pink tinted cheeks. "He...what..." SHe shook her head and looked back at Riley. "Why?"

Riley sighed, wishing the doctor hadn't cowered out and dashed off to _wherever _he was and left her to do this...

"Jesse wasn't in a car seat...the uh, the impact of the accident snapped his spinal cord...he's in a vegetable state..."

The mother sighed and looked towards the ceiling. She was taking this surprisingly well.

_Spoke too soon..._

At that moment the woman let out a blood curdling cry and dropped to her knees. Riley's reflexes kicked in as she caught the woman and held her as she cried, looking around nervously whishing herself away.

**--CSI Crime Lab—Morgue—10:13 p.m.--**

"Hey Doc...who's the latest turkey?" Nick asked, walking into the lab with Greg hot on his heels.

Doc shook his head at the 'nickname' given to the newest dead bodies on his slab... (as new as dead bodies can be...). "Jonathan Meads...car accident victim number five."

"Geez...how many were there?"

"Seven dead, three to the hospital..."

"Make that eight dead." David announced, walking in wheeling in a large body bag. "Mrs. Alyssa Kentler, meet the Doc. Doc, meet Alyssa." David pulled the bag open to reveal a badly damaged brunette that had probably once been beautiful. Nick sighed and shook his head.

"What's with all the car accidents lately?"

"Did you know that 76 percent of automobile accidents happen within a three mile radius of the victim's house or place of work?" David quizzed.

"Otherwise known as the 'safe zone'." Doc replied.

"More like the 'death trap'..." Greg noted, still staring at the bodies.

"Alright, shall we get this over with gentlemen; I have other turkeys to carve...?" The coroner requested.

Nick nodded and crossed his arms low behind his back. "COD?"

"Subdural hematoma to the occipital of the cranium. He died instantaneously."

"Unlike his son, I hear." David noted from across the morgue, making all three men turn to look at the man.

"What're you talkin about Super Dave?" Nick asked.

"His son is still up at Desert Palms in ICU. He's got severe brain damage and is in a vegetable state..."

"And you know this how?" Greg asked.

"I was just there." David said pointedly, as if it was so obvious.

**--Desert Palms—ICU—11:16 p.m.--**

"I want him to be an organ donor." Mrs. Meads remarked from next to Riley. The red head looked over at the blonde, slightly shocked that she had spoken. The two had been standing at the glass wall for almost an hour, watching Jesse's little body be kept alive merely by respirators and machines...he looked so small and fragile hooked up to the atrocious, nonconformist machines. "I want to help others..." She lifted a French manicured hand to the glass, no doubt thinking about holding her little three year old baby in her arms and reading him a story before he went to sleep. She smiled softly and another tear slipped down her beautiful face. "I always teach him to help others..."

Riley looked down uncomfortably. "I can arrange that, the organ donation." She admitted reluctantly, knowing the woman's motives were pure, but the mechanics of actual organ harvesting was brutal...something no little innocent three year old boy should have to experience...conscious or not...it seemed cruel and unfair.

She nodded. "Hopefully some other mother can have her little baby tonight..."

"_Healthy children will not fear life if their elders have integrity enough not to fear death_..."

"Erik H. Erikson..." Jamey Meads answered and slowly let her hand slip from the glass. "I want to help other children...no one else should have to fear death."

Riley merely looked at the woman and wondered if she had been informed of her husband's death...

**--CSI Crime Lab—Lay Out Room—11:25 p.m.--**

"Where's the wife?" Nick questioned, looking up and around the table at the people surrounding him.

"She's still at the hospital with the son...she isn't required to come in ASAP since they already positively identify the body through CODIS." Warrick answered, not looking up from whatever he was writing.

"And we can't do anything until she gets here to confirm our theory..." Greg noted.

The case had been easy enough, Mr. Meads had pulled up to the stop light and slammed on the brakes to resist going over the set boundaries, but the car behind him hadn't been paying attention and rear ended the white Toyota Corolla, forcing it into the center of the four-way stoplight. Most of the cars were already turning into the next lanes by crossing through the center square where the helpless Jon and Jesse Meads set prey to the laws of motion as the four other cars slammed into them.

Gradually, a total of six cars had piled into the mess, each body claiming their treacherous fate of life or death.

"So...what 'till then?" Nick asked shrugging. The two other men shrugged in return and each went back to the boring silence. Nick sighed and picked up the ball point pen and bounced it on the table. he sighed and began rolling it back and froth, then bouncing it again. Warrick looked up annoyed, so Nick gave an apologetic smile and stopped.

He sighed again and began twirling it through his fingers, eventually flicking it onto Greg's forehead. Greg glared and Nick winced and mouthed 'sorry'. He snatched the pen back up and held it close to his face to study intently. He got a 'brilliant' idea and leaned back, tilting his head to try and balance the pen on his nose.

The pen continued to fall, but Nick never gave up. Warrick looked up annoyed and exchanged the glare with Greg. They both sighed in aggravation and tried to ignore the increasingly annoying Texan as he tried effortlessly to amuse himself with a standard black ball point pen.

Nick almost fell out of his chair while trying to balance the pen, and decided that probably wasn't the best idea. He grabbed a rubber band from the corner of the table and created a sling shot, firing the pen straight up into the air. Nick chuckled as it landed in his lap, and continued with the oddly amusing game.

"Nick!" Warrick exclaimed exasperatedly and Nick's eyes widened and he caught the pen as it fell back towards him, an innocent look on his face. "Would you please, _stop_?" Warrick instructed, his voice high pitched and cracking, trying to maintain his sanity and pronouncing each word slowly with perfect diction.

Nick sighed miserably and put his chin in his palm. "But I'm so bored..."

"So go watch Doc work with the DBs...or go scan Griss' fish board for the ones that 'got away'." Warrick suggested and Nick sighed and left the two to work.

**--Desert Palms—ICU Room—12:01 a.m.--**

"Thanks Ming, I got it from here." Riley said softly. The tiny Oriental nurse looked up, and nodded as she left Riley alone to administer Jesse his hourly antibiotics to keep the organs healthy. She tried to avert her eyes from the practically lifeless boy on the bed as she went to the IV with the needle and injected the medicine to the IV. She sighed and reluctantly looked over to the little blonde boy, his sandy blonde curls spilling over his forehead and closed eyes.

She imagined him constantly brushing the stubborn curls from his baby blue eyes as he played with his toys or at the park. She wondered how many times his mother had fussed over his hair cuts and how his hair grew at a mile a minute. His cheeks were still pink; oddly enough he looked to blushing and smiling, as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, although Riley doubted that had ever happened. Little Jesse looked as if God had sent an angle down to Earth to teach the other little boys and girls to play nice and teach everyone a lesson.

Riley knew none of these things for sure, they were simply hunches. A luxury and curse of her job, the ability to dream. Dream too little, you become cold. Dream too much...you burn out. She took in a deep breath and cautiously walked over to the bed, resting two fingers on the cold metal rail. It seemed out of place. A beautiful baby boy shouldn't be surrounded by machines, IVs, sterile cloths, and cold nurses (herself included). He should be at home dreaming peacefully in his bed only to wake up the next day to cause innocent mischief...

Instead, here he was, lying in a hospital bed being kept alive merely by the many machines hooked up to him, making sure that the organs to be harvested were kept fresh. The last organ to have been taken was the liver, needed for some little girl whose was poisoned...Jesse's lungs, most of his blood, corneas, and a bone marrow donation had already been taken. His heart would be the next, and final, peice of the boy to be distributed. Riley sucked her lips into her mouth and closed her eyes, trying to think of all the kids he was benefitting instead of the actual mechanics of the transplants.

"Nurse Turner?" Dr. Summlis asked, standing shyly in the doorway. Riley looked up suddenly and took a step away from the bed. "You have a visitor..." He said, mildly disapproving, yet meekly relieved...she was supposed to administer the drugs and leave...not stand there and silently pray for the little boy.

She nodded and brushed passed him, her head down, and walked to the front desk of the ICU floor. She sighed when she saw Nick standing there, twirling his keys between his fingers, waiting patiently for her. She didn't want him to be here. She didn't want to have to force a smile for him (as selfish as that sounded). All she wanted was to go home, take a nice long bubble bath, drink a glass of wine, and mourn Jesse Meads' shortened life.

He brightened when he saw her and she forced a miniscule of a smile for him and stepped up to him. "Hey you..." He replied softly.

"Hi." She said softly and Nick grinned sheepishly and rocked on his heels.

"Slow night...I uh...I thought I'd come see you." His boyish grin grew into a full blown smile that would have made her (and any other woman) weak at the knees, but not right now...she was too busy playing 'statue'.

She shifted and kept the sham smile on her face as she looked away towards the room the innocent boy was lying in, and then back to Nick. "Yeah..."

"So, can I take you out real quick for coffee? Can you take your break now?"

She shifted her weight and looked down. "Uh...no. I can't I've...gotta give a patient," _A little boy who has stolen my heart._ "Some medication," _Drugs he shouldn't need at this age._ "Every hour." _Until he dies._ "Sorry."

Nick looked slightly saddened but he nodded understandingly. "Yeah, okay...well...can I bring coffee to you?"

She sighed and looked down. "No. No, I'm good."

"Hey," He stepped closer and took her elbow in his hand while slipping the other hand underneath her hair to caress her neck softly. "Are you alright?"

Riley stiffened and pulled herself out of his grasp. "Yeah, I'm fine." She didn't want to be touched right now, a weird pet peeve that she had.

He took her hands and pulled her close to him. "Are you sure?"

She once again pushed away from him and took a step back, hoping he'd get the message. "Yes. Nick, I'm fine." She insisted and Nick eyed her oddly.

"Riley-"

"Nick stop." She said forcefully, her stern tone catching the nosey receptionists' attention. "I am fine."

"Riley what's wr-"

"Nick! When I say I'm fine, it means I'm fine. Quit pushing." She ordered sharply and Nick looked startled and shook his head.

"Whoa, what's goin on with you?" He asked and she shook her head.

"I'm fine Nick. Just go back to work." She replied, turning around and heading back to the little boy's room. Nick took a step to follow her, but thought better of it.

"Riley..." She ignored him. "Riley...!" Nick called, but she ignored him still.

_Whoa...what the Hell was that? _

Nick thought and turned while sighing to see the nosey receptionist snap her gum and smile sexily at him. Nick tried not to look sickened by her, and turned away without so much as a passing glance.

**--Nick's House—8:02 a.m.--**

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah..." Nick griped as he stumbled to the front door, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He frowned as he opened the door, seeing a very stressed and tired looking Riley in front of him. She hung her head and shrugged, extending a coffee cup towards him.

"Sorry..." She said softly and took on the appearance of a humbled woman...something she didn't particularly enjoy.

"For what; waking me or the major/minor ridiculous spat earlier...?"

She bit her lip and looked down again. "Both."

Nick nodded gave a tiny smile and took the coffee from her, raising it up slightly. "Thanks." He nodded her in and stepped aside to let her in. She shook her head softly and shrugged.

"I uh...I gotta go home. I'm beat from work. You gotta sleep too."

Nick shrugged. "So, sleep here with me. I sleep better when I'm with you anyway."

She smirked and chuckled. "We never _sleep_ when I stay over..."

Nick smiled and gestured once again to the inside of the house. "So, we'll _actually_ sleep this time." Nick responded and she sighed. "C'mon, you woke me up to give me coffee...you can't just_ leave_."

"Well, _technically_ I woke you up to say sorry...the coffee was for kicks cause I'm sarcastic like that."

Nick smiled and nodded. "Yeah well...stay."

"I still have to take a shower."

"I've got one of those."

"And I need clean clothes."

"I've got T-shirts..." Nick reasoned innocently and she sighed, not seeing any other way out of this. She trusted that he would let her sleep, but she knew Nick, and Nick liked to hold her when she slept. Why, she didn't know. All she knew was that Nick would want to be near her, and all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and unhealthily mourn Jesse Meads' death. Seeing her make no move to come in, nor protest, Nick gently and loosely took her middle and index finger in his hand and softly pulled her towards the house.

She sighed softly and relented, finally stepping over the threshold. He led her towards the bathroom and handed her a towel and left the room. She kicked off her standard white sneakers and reached for the bottom of her scrubs shirt and pulled it almost completely off of her body when the bathroom door opened again and Nick entered. She brashly pulled the shirt back down over her body in an attempt to hide herself, though Nick had already gotten an eye full. He raised a brow at how peculiar she was acting and nodded slightly.

"Are you alright?" Nick asked cautiously and Riley nodded.

"Yeah uh...I'm fine...just tired." She partially lied, knowing Nick wouldn't by that for a minute. But the argument in the ICU earlier that morning he knew not to push. He nodded (not having much of another option) and set her bath things, which he had stored in the box he was planning on getting rid of, on the sink's counter. She watched him, still holding her shirt firmly in place, waiting for him to exit.

He paused in the doorway, giving her one last look before leaving fully. She waited a few seconds before stripping completely and stepping into the shower.

**--Nick's House—Nick's Room—8:53 a.m.--**

Riley had stood under the shower's spray until it ran cold, before she reluctantly stepped out of the bathroom, the towel still wrapped tightly around her. Nick had left a large T shirt on the edge of 'her side' of the bed for her to wear. He was facing away from her at the moment, but would be looking at her once she lay down in the bed.

She sighed and shed the towel covering her, and slid the shirt over her head and climbed into the soft, warm bed. Not more than a few seconds after her head hit the pillow she fell asleep, Nick was sure because her breathing had evened out. Knowing it was safe now to open his eyes, he looked at her from behind, her long wet incredibly red hair sprawled out on the pillow behind her, the blue sheets covering up to her shoulders.

Nick extended a hand and gently ran a finger along her spine and settled on her hip. He slowly pulled his hand away and scooted slightly futher from her, eventually turning to face the other side of the room. He knew she wasn't just tired...he'd seen her tired, there was something else bothering her.

He wanted desperately to force her to tell him what was wrong, but knowing that wasn't an option, he'd simply have to wait it out for her to be ready...if she'd even tell him at all...

**--End of Chapter...--**

_Okay, (rolls eyes) I know, not much fluff and happiness before we dive back into the drama. (Shrugs) Y'all know I'm an angst-er! XD Alright...I'm sorry to report that I won't be online (or calling anyone or watching any television) until next Saturday night or Sunday morning... (Cries hysterically) _

_That means..._

_1. I won't be able to post any chapters till then. But I promise when I get (my life) back there will be an instant update. _

_2. I will have absolutely NO connection to the outside world cause I have to unpack my new edifice... (Dane Cook word)...then I have to work... (Cries more) life sucks..._

_3. (And by far the worst of all)...Quick, everyone get their tissues ready for me...I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO WATCH THE CSI SEASON 7 FRIGGIN PREMIERE! So now EVERYONE will be in the loop but ME! (Cries)..._

_4. (Special note to certain reviewers)** Spacecoastbabe15** and **Maestoso**...one of you absolutely HAS to record it for me and bring it to me...I'll die if you don't...DON'T BE MEAN AND DEPRIVE ME OF MY HUSBAND!_

_5. Alright...that's it..._

_So please stay tuned for my return on Saturday/Sunday... (Thinks) Did I mention I have no coffee too? That means prepare for angst..._

_Alright...I think that's it...so...BYE! XD ...or is it... X((I haven't decided, but I'm pretty sure this is all a bad thing) _

_-Confused-tired-and-disconected-Futuremisscsi60_


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

_(Four days later...which makes it August 17, 2006) _

"What's up Nick?" Warrick asked as he walked into the locker rooms, spotting the Texan sitting on the bench, lacing up his boots. "I heard you were lookin for me."

"Yeah, yeah man. You wanna go out for some breakfast or somethin?" Nick asked and Warrick nodded.

"Sure, but I gotta be home by nine, Tina called, said it was another tough shift." Warrick added and Nick looked up, wondering if Riley had worked a tough shift as well.

"Alight, well, we better get goin then."**

* * *

**

(grins...they got the bar thingy up! Dude, what else has happened since I've been gone...?) Ps, this is at the 'Local Diner'...you know the one, it's in _every_ book and all the CSIs always eat at it...

Nick took a sip of his coffee and laughed as he shook his head. "Man, you are whipped." Nick joked and Warrick made a disbelieving face.

"I am not...I'm in love." He said mock-dreamily in a falsetto voice causing Nick to laugh again.

"C'mon man, quit textin Tina, we're here so we can hang out and talk."

"About what?"

"I don't know...we'll figure it out when our mouths start movin..." Nick replied and snatched the phone from his friend's hands. "Gimme that."

"Hey!" Warrick protested. "Nick! Don't read that...I'm warning you..." Warrick replied, not in a threatening tone, more like a tone saying 'you'll-be-sorry'...

"_Oooohh_, I'm shakin in my Cowboy boots..." Nick joked and shook his head while laughing as he turned the phone screen towards his face and stared in horror. "God!" He screamed and tossed the phone back at Warrick, covering his eyes in horror. "Oh my God!" He screamed in horror, attracting the attention of several other patrons of the diner.

Warrick laughed and caught the phone filled with..._descriptive_ messages of _intimate_ things he and his wife would be doing later stored on the screen. "Told ya man..."

"Oh God...I'll never have sex again..."

He laughed. "Yeah, that'll last for about twenty seconds." Warrick joked and typed a quick goodbye to his wife before looking at a very pale and scarred looking Nick. Warrick let out a hearty chuckle as Nick continued to stare out the window blankly. "C'mon man, relax...it wasn't that bad."

"Uh huh, pssh, uch, pssh..." _(That's supposed to be Nick trying to talk but he's over-loaded and can't form words so he's makin funny sounds...XD)_

"Yeah...you can 'pssh' all you want but you know you're achin for a nurse...ba dum bum." He replied while chuckling at his own corny pun.

All Nick could do was crack a small smile at the thought of **his** nurse, who was no doubt on her way home right now. _Ya know...I bet she'd be up for that..._

Nick thought deviously..."Oh yeah...I'm achin alright." Nick mumbled low enough so that Warrick couldn't hear it.

"You know...the red head that Tina's friends with, Riley, she's a nurse..."

**

* * *

--The Universal House—Riley's Room—9:10 a.m.-- (Ps, I'm gonna keep this little, let-you-know-where-they-are thingy goin for a while...)**

"Nick...no." Riley answered as she chuckled softly at his obdurate attempts to get her to play 'Naughty Nurse'.

"Aw, c'mon Baby," He rolled so that he was laying partially on top of her, bracing his weight on his forearms while running his finger through her long red hair. "It could be fun."

She sighed softly and groaned. "I play nurse_ all_ day..."

"Yeah, but you don't have sex all day. This would be fun...plus, it's always fun being _naughty_..." He grinned and waggled his eyebrows, causing her to chuckle.

"Alright, I'll be your 'Naughty Nurse' if you be my 'Mad Scientist'."

Nick groaned. "That's no fun...and it's so unrealistic. What would a nurse be doin with a..." He let his thought trail off as he realized what he was about to say and he blushed softly and hung his head while chuckling. "Uh, never mind..."

She let out an angelic giggle and shook her head. "You are too much Mr. Stokes."

"Yeah, well...you're a handful yourself Ms. Turner." Nick said smiling and dipping his head down to capture her lips with his own. He was glad that whatever funk she'd been in at work lately was gone...and in time for his birthday. That gave him an idea. "How about for my birthday? Would you play 'Naughty Nurse' for my birthday?" He asked and she smiled.

"I'll_ think_ about it..."

Nick groaned. "That's a 'no'."

"No...that's an 'I'll think about it'..."

Nick looked at her lovingly from above her and caressed her cheek with the backs of his fingers. He dipped his head back down and brushed his lips lightly over hers, then hovered for a moment before pulling away. She brought her head up slightly to kiss him fully, but he pulled his head back teasingly, smirking deviously. She tried to capture his lips again and he moved his head out of the way. She grunted in frustration and attempted once more, he rolled over on his back, giving her room to pounce on top of him and kiss him like a starving woman.

She ran her hands across his chest, before spreading them to his shoulders, then along his arms before stopping at his wrists, and traveling back down. She had already learned to not pin him down; he didn't enjoy that, so she continued feeling all over his shirted body until a small yapping noise drew their attention. Yoda came bouncing in the room, her tiny weight making it easy for her to virtually fly onto the bed.

Nick and Riley chuckled as they turned their heads to look at the little silky terrier, waiting anxiously to be noticed and loved. When she saw that she had their attention she ran over and plopped down on Nick's chest, making them both chuckle. Nick took the little puppy in his arms and slid out from under Riley, her now sitting where his knees had been, and him towards the top of the bed; giving the puppy room to play between them. Riley scratched behind the puppy's ears, making the fur on her face fluff forward.

Nick imitated a dog growling from his position behind the puppy, making her whip around in excitement of somebody to play with. Nick grinned and growled again, making the puppy bark loudly. Nick and Yoda began wrestling softly, mostly him just lightly brushing her out of the way, making her nip at his hands.

"Hey now, don't teach her to bite." Riley instructed and Nick laughed, not taking his eyes off the puppy.

"I'm only promoting the biting...you taught her that, with all the little 'love marks' all over me." He smirked at the thought of that. "No, no, no...she gets the bitin from her Mama." Nick added, still playing with the puppy. She chuckled and watched them go at it, Yoda getting excited and bouncing back and forth while Nick stared at her in amusement, releasing an amazing smile.

_Damn...that man's smile could melt even the coldest bitch's heart..._ (_Nice comparison huh? XD_)

Riley scooted over to sit beside Nick and recline against the pillows and slip her long legs under the sheets. She closed her eyes momentarily and shook her head while smiling as she watched her boyfriend get a kick out of her puppy.

_They're both just too cute..._

A knock sounded from the door. "Come in." Riley answered, her eyes never leaving the puppy.

"Aww...family portrait!" Kiersten exclaimed and snapped a quick picture of the couple and the puppy. Riley squealed in horror and buried her face in Nick's sighed to avoid anymore photographic evidence of herself.

"Damn you Kiersten Nicole Philips! I don't even have make-up on!"

Kiersten laughed and shrugged. "That's why I took the picture." She turned to talk directly to Nick. "Did you know she use to skip school _every_ picture day and picture make-up day to avoid having her picture taken. She isn't in ANY yearbooks...Hell, we were sure she wasn't gonna get a drivers license cause they gotta take her picture for it." Kiersten drawled and Riley threw a pillow at her.

"Go away."

"Nope, you'd miss me too much."

Nick smiled and shook his head at their exchange, his eyes never leaving the puppy as it continued biting at his hands and long fingers. "What's up Kiersten?" Nick asked.

"I'm goin grocery shoppin and I need to know what we need...Shaun said you had the grocery list."

"Yes, let me get the grocery list out of my sock drawer...cause that's where I_ always_ keep it." Riley replied sarcastically, still snuggled into Nick's side, with his hand running up and down her back. Kiersten rolled her eyes. "I don't know where it is Kit."

Kiersten sighed and went back out the door, closing it behind her as she left.

**

* * *

--Grissom's House—Living Room—9:13 p.m. (pouts) _Man_...I had this great scene all picked out for right about now...but I can't use it yet... (mutters) friggin time line...--**

Gil Grissom opened his front door and flipped on the light switch while going through his mail.

"SURPRISE!" The entire nightshift, plus Brass, Doc, David, Archie, Jacqui, and Mandy.

Grissom looked up in shock, his mouth hanging open as he got an eyeful of the decorations hanging up everywhere, all of the party guests in party hats, and a giant cake on the table. "What are you all doing here?" He asked in mild surprise. "...My birthday isn't for two hours and forty-seven minutes."

Catherine rolled her eyes. "Yes, but we'll all be sleeping then."

"C'mon Grissom, it's your birthday..." Greg began.

"And I'll fire you if I want to." Grissom finished, earning laughs from everyone but Greg

"Oh, relax Griss. Eat some cake."

"How did you all get in here?" Grissom asked, and everyone held up a key. He shot a glare to Catherine, knowing she was behind this. "Catherine, that key was for emergencies only...not so you can go around making dozens of copies and distributing them around the lab."

Catherine sighed. "Yeah, but God forbid I were to be unavailable in a case of emergency, then what would you do?" She asked and Grissom sighed. He shot Sara a desperate look, who merely smiled and shrugged.

**

* * *

--11:04 p.m.--**

"Oh, no way, I can top that." Catherine stated, setting her glass of punch down as random party guests listened to everyone telling random stories about Grissom. "Once, when I first got to CSI..."

_Bad boys, bad boys, Whacha gonna do? Whacha gonna do when they come for you? Bad boys, bad boys..._

Brass' ring tone was cut off as he answered his phone. "Brass...yes..." He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Damn...alright we'll be there..." Everyone groaned, all knowing what this meant and Greg rolled his eyes.

"Damn, dead bodies can be so inconsiderate about their TODs and if it interrupts our parties..." Greg noted sarcastically and everyone chuckled.

"Well...I'm just glad we did the party before we had to get called in..." Catherine noted. "So what do we have Jim?"

"Two 419s, one in a trailer park and one in Summerlin. Requesting two CSIs each..."

"I'll take Greggo to Summerlin." Catherine offered.

"Alright, Rick, Nick, you're goin to the trailer park. Grissom, enjoy the night off. Sara...well...you can help him clean up." Brass said winking knowingly that they probably would be doing more than cleaning up...(_bum bum bum, the teams knows?)_

Sara and Grissom looked at each other panicked, then to Nick accusingly. He held up his hands in surrender. "I swear; I didn't tell them anythin about y'all datin."

Everyone's jaws dropped and Catherine snickered. "Yeah...you did."

Nick winced and prepared himself for Sara's wrath. "Oops..."

"...Alright, who had the pot for today?" Warrick asked looking around the room, making signals for bets.

"What?" Sara asked and Catherine shrugged.

"We've actually known about the two of you for about four months, we saw the two of you smooching in Gil's parking lot, and we figured out Nicky knew cause he's always making excuses for you guys. So we all took bets on when he'd let it slip..."

Nick gave an umbrage look. "Hey now! It was by accident!"

"Yeah well, your little accident just made me $500..." Greg said smiling.

"Hey, that's what my Grandma said when she found out my mom was pregnant with me...oh wait, no...that was 'your little accident just cost me $500'..." Warrick replied in a joking tone, but serious about the story, and everyone chuckled while saying 'awwww...' Warrick smirked and shrugged while Brass shook his head.

"...Well that was delightful, but if you fine investigators and astounding lab techs don't mind, there are crimes to investigate."

**--End of Chapter...--**

_(Cries hysterically) Whahh! I missed you guys! (Cries more) I was going through withdrawals! (Continues crying as she flips through random pictures of George Eads and drools...) I missed my internet and my computer and CSI and George Eads...bear in mind, I have been completely cut off from the world. But I did manage to (go through Hell) and catch the season 7 premiere of CSI..._

_HOW MESSED UP WAS THAT!_

_Dude, they friggin stole my idea...that whole last 15 minutes of the episode...I had it all planned out like that for a whole 'nother story. _

_But anyway, I'm very upset that they put Nick with an icky blonde girl (no offense to blondes, I have nothing against you...except when y'all dance with Nick) Is it just me, or does anyone else clearly remember in the episode Stalker (which I don't own) that it was said, that Nicky loves red heads...! Hello! Am I alone here...?_

_Okay, Kit, Emma, back me up here...you know what I'm talkin about..._

_(Sigh) anyway, I'll stop rambling. Next chapter should be up fairly soon..._

_REVIEW PLEASE_

_-Futuremisscsi60_


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: **_An author/good friend of mine has done a "spin off" sorta thing with this book. She took two characters, Emma and Greg (...you might remember them ;)...) and created a book all about them. There are the same characters from this book (aka- Riley, Nick, Kiersten, Tina, Warrick, and all of Riley's crazy insane friends...) The book is in my favorites, titled The Long Road Ahead. Alright, I think that's it...yep, ON WITH THE BOOK!_

**Chapter 34**

_Nick's House—August 18, 2006—5:03 a.m. _

Nick smiled as he slowly turned the knob to his front door, knowing Riley would already be in there waiting for him. He had gotten the day off due to his birthday, and he was pretty sure she did too. Having a date with the 'Naughty Nurse' wasn't going to happen, but she'd no doubt have something special planned...

Nick smiled wider and stepped into the house, brimming with excitement. He looked around confused when he saw the house was dark, except for the light of the computer, which Riley was typing at ardently. She was wearing one of her large T-shirts and a pair of sweats with miss-matched socks and her hair clipped up into a sloppy bun. Nick furred his brow and walked over to the entirely engrossed red head, mesmerized with whatever she was doing on the computer. Nick scanned the computer screen, seeing that she was reading a medical article from a few years back on Dr. Kevorkian. "Ry...Whacha readin?"

"Dr. Kevorkian." She answered simply, never looking away from the screen.

Nick raised his brow. "Why?"

"Because is one of the biggest case files on PAS and euthanasia out there..." She mumbled, still leaving her reasoning ambigious, and switched to a different link the computer gave her. She brought her fist to her chin, and pressed a hook-shaped index finger against her pursed lips, a common habit she had signaling she was pondering something deeply.

_Okay...go ahead...tell me she forgot..._

Nick thought and pulled away from the computer, still standing behind her as he placed his hands on his hips and looked down at his feet as he shook his head slightly. "Riley, what day is it...?" NIck hinted at the fact that it was his birthday...and she'd forgotten.

"I don't know...its September right?" She asked seriously and Nick smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"Unbelievable..." He muttered and she furred her brows confused, still not looking away from the screen.

"What? Was it a bad day at work...?" She asked and Nick sighed aggravated and walked off. After a few minutes she tore her impossibly blue eyes away from the screen and looked down the hall towards the bathroom to which Nick had slammed the door.

**

* * *

**

Nick sighed and fell back against the bed and pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly before dragging a hand down his now mustache-free face. "Unbelievable..._unbelievable_..." Nick mumbled to himself and shook his head against the sheets.

"You look pretty sick Birthday Boy..." A sexy Southern drawl came from the doorway, making Nick snap his head towards the familiar voice. Nick pushed himself up so that he was leaning on his forearms, and had a better view of his woman. "I wonder if I, Nurse Nancy, can help with that..." Riley pondered seductively, biting her flush, pink lip while twirling a long, red, straightened piece of hair.

Nick dropped his jaw and stared at her in shock. In the blink of an eye she had transformed from a computer-potato (in our world known as someone addicted to this site) into a sexy nurse. She wore a very skimpy white nurse's uniform, cut lower and with more cleavage than any nurse should have, and was short enough to be hanging in Paris Hilton's closet (burn). She had thigh-high white stockings, connected by garter belts and lacey strings. She was wearing baby pink kitten heels with tiny white bows on the dorsal of the feet and small white ruffles surrounding the sling backs and open toed holes of the shoes.

She smiled and shook her long hair off her shoulder while leaning against the door frame. He grinned and shook his head. "...You played me like a fiddle..."

She shrugged innocently. "Me...? No, I'm just an innocent nurse..."

Nick shook his head slowly as she walked towards him sexily, taunting him with her form. Nick gulped and looked at her hungrily. "Innocent?" He asked unbelievingly and she smiled chaste and nodded sweetly, proving her point, yet making the sex appeal grow. Nick sat up fully on the bed, but she softly pushed him back down with her finger.

"Yes...Nurse Nancy doesn't know much...you may have to teach her...see," She ran a steady hand up his thigh, but settled her other one on his knee as she stood up from the position of kneeling she had been in before. "She just reformed to 'naughty nurse' so you'll have to help her along..." Riley explained, referring to her character in third person. She smiled and began toying with her hair again, while rocking on her heels and biting her lip in mock-nervousness. "Are you up for the challenge?" She questioned softly.

Nick smiled and eyed her. "I don't know...she seems pretty seductive already..." Nick replied, keeping the charade going.

She grinned and shook her head. "Nah, that's just how she always is..."

Nick smiled and grabbed her hand pulling ehr slowly towards him. "I think I can teach her a thing or two..."

* * *

Nick ran his hand lazily up and down her naked form, before finally settling on her hip. He smiled as he spotted the nurse's 'uniform' tossed into a corner, forgotten in an instant as he had assisted undressing her. Something smooth rubbed against his foot, and he hooked his toe around it and reached under the covers to retrieve the item. He smiled as he held up the baby pink push up bra with white lace, then felt around for the matching boy shorts. He found them and heard Riley snicker.

"Ya know...I never pictured you as a 'pink girl' Darlin..." Nick drawled and she chuckled and nestled her head against his chest, right above his heart.

"Yeah well...there's a lot of things you wouldn't picture about me...don't mean they ain't true." She replied as the twang became extremely evident in her voice and Nick grinned.

"...What, you got two kids and a whole 'nother life stowed away somewhere?"

She grinned and laughed. "_Hell _no...no kids."

Nick chuckled. "Sounds like you're a secret agent or somethin...that'd be sexy."

She grinned deviously and turned her body on his form so that she was now facing him, as she climbed on top of his body and pushed herself up into a sitting position. "_Ooooh_, yeah. We could be spies that are on opposite sides and ordered to terminate each other, but...we get a little side tracked..." She waggled her eyebrows and Nick laughed as he could practically see the wheels turning in her head.

"Hell yeah...when do we not get side tracked?"

"Hey, I was doing very well on your 'physical exam'...until you seduced me." She accused and Nick laughed and subconsciously began massaging her thighs and hips.

"Well...that was the_ most_ physical 'physical exam' I've ever had..."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I should hope so...you got an 'A' by the way..."

Nick nodded triumphantly. "Damn straight."

She rolled her eyes and smiled as she slid back down his body and molded herself against his form. "So...how does it feel to officially be 36...?"

Nick groaned. "And officially 12 years older than you?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's not that much of a difference...and besides, you're only 12 years older for a few months so suck it up old man." Nick groaned and poked her in the side, causing her to squeal and curl away from his hand to prevent him from tickling her again. "Hey, tickling isn't allowed."

Nick laughed and rolled her over on her back. "Well in that case..."

"No!" She protested and tried to shield herself as he began to tickle her sides. "Nick stop it!"

"Nope." He replied and pinned her to the mattress with his naked body, not that she really minded. (cause c'mon, who could?)

"Nick!"

"Yes?"

"Nick stop please!" She begged as she laughed and tried to fend him off. He finally smiled and stopped tickling her to say something, but was cut off by his phone ringing. He groaned and closed his eyes while Riley snickered.

"Twenty bucks says it's your mother..."

Nick sighed and stayed still in bed, not going for the still ringing phone.

"...Get the phone Nicky...talk to your mother." She ordered playfully and rolled out from under him.

He sighed and picked up his cell phone and shook his head. "Hi Mama..."

Riley winced and pulled her head away from the harsh, out-of-key chorus of 'Happy Birthday' coming from the phone. Nick pulled the phone away from his ear and held it above his head. Riley did her best to suppress a chuckle as she climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom to laugh freely. Nick tossed a pillow at the closed door and brought the phone back to his ear when the singing had stopped.

"Thank you Mama..."

"You're on speaker phone Nicholas." His mother drawled and Nick smiled.

"Thank you everyone. How're y'all doin?"

His oldest sister, Maggie, laughed and he could practically hear her roll her eyes. "Typical Nicky, always avoiding the fact that he's yet another year older."

"Well, he hasn't always avoided it...remember when he was seventeen and dyin to be legal?" His brother, Brian, asked and Nick sighed and made a pleading face to Riley as she walked out of the bathroom, after having calmed down a bit.

She smiled and shrugged as she crawled back into bed with him and molded herself back into his side, missing the feel of his body against hers.

"I think when he hit 29 he freaked and realized that birthdays suck..." Erica, his third oldest sister and fraternal twin to Brian noted.

"Y'all do remember that I'm on the phone and can hear what you're sayin right?" Nick asked and he heard his mother snort.

"Well, it's been so darn long since we've seen you we kinda forget about you easily." His mother not-so-subtly hinted.

Nick rolled his eyes and nodded. "Thanks...that's comforting."

His father snickered in the background. "Well Pancho, your mother is a little upset that you didn't shimmy your way over here for your birthday."

"Yeah, I got that Cisco, thanks." Nick drawled while chuckling and Riley raised a brow at the one-ended conversation she was hearing. "But uh, work has been crazy and I couldn't get time off for a few more weeks."

"You better haul ass over here then or Mama's gonna be madder than a wet hen!" Karen, who was only a year older than Nick stated.

"Karen Joanne Stokes you watch your foul mouth when your children are present." Mama Stokes demanded and Nick laughed.

"Oooh! You got middle named!" He accused and Riley rolled her eyes, knowing the sibling banter all to well from her own family. She felt a pang of homesick-ness and she made a mental note to call them. As if on cue, her phone began ringing,

_Hey momma, don't forget to tell my baby sister I'll see her in the fall. And tell mee-mal that I miss her, yeah; I should give her a call. And make sure you tell Daddy that I'm still his little girl. Yeah I still feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be. Don't forget to remember me. _

Nick shot Riley a look to signal for her to silence the obvious ring tone so that it wouldn't raise suspicion amongst his family...

Too late...

"Nicky, what's that ringing in the background?" His second oldest sister, Shannon, asked.

"Is that a girl's voice I hear?" Brian asked dauntingly, knowing full well that it was. Riley scrambled out of bed to begin her phone conversation in silence. She snatched up her thigh high olive green robe in the process and threw it on as she went into the living room.

"Get off it Brian, it's the television..." Nick replied while rolling his eyes.

Brian snickered wickedly. "Sounds like someone's already gotten off..." A loud slap was heard from the other end of the phone and Brian whined. "Ow! Mama...!"

"Brian James Stokes you watch your foul mouth when children are present! I swear these youngins are going to grow up with the dirtiest minds..." The eldest woman groaned.

"...Anyway, we just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday Pancho." His dad replied, trying to wrap up the phone conversation to save him from any more embarrassment.

"Thanks Cisco. Thanks everybody, this was...fun."

"Don't be a stranger to the phone Nick, give the kids and I a call some time." Karen instructed and Nick smiled.

"I will Kar...talk to ya later everybody."

"Bye Nick!" They all chorused and Nick smiled as he hung up. He chuckled tiredly and laid his head back against the pillows, before picking it up a few minutes later when he didn't hear any sound coming from the living room. He furred his brows and listened intently for anything. He heard Riley's soft drawl mumble some incoherent words, and caught bits and pieces of the one ended conversation.

"...how long ago...didn't he...how's Donnie...tomorrow...work...bye." He sat up in bed when he heard no attempt on her part to re-enter the room. He pushed the covers off and slid his boxers on and mossied slowly into the living room to see Riley sitting on the edge of the couch, cradling her head in her hands.

Nick quickly ran over to her and knelt in front of her. "Baby, Riley, Honey what's wrong?"

She sighed heavily and pulled her head out of her hands. "I need to go to Texas."

He furred his brows and brought his hand to the back of her head and stroked her hair. "Okay...is everything alright?"

She sniffled slightly and looked down to her knees where her hands were hanging loosely. She closed her eyes and paused a minute before she shook her head. "My Aunt Dee just died..." She choked and looked away towards the front door absently, bringing her finger to her lips, she pressed it against the soft pink flesh and choked back a sob.

"Oh God, Riley...I'm sorry."

She turned her hand and put her mouth against her palm while resting her elbow on her knee, and finally dragged her gaze over to meet Nick's. "I have to leave tomorrow...I need to call work." She mumbled and ducked her head to dial on her cell phone. Nick sighed and moved his hand to cup her elbow.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Nick asked and she looked up from her phone and bit her lip, mulling it over intently. She seemed to be weighing her options, then looked him in the eye hopefully.

"Could you get off work?" She asked and Nick shrugged.

"Yeah...probably...I'll be able to push around some dates and then let Grissom know. And ya know, if you want to handle it alone I can always go see my parents but still be near by...Dallas is closer than Vegas." Nick reasoned and she nodded.

"I want you in Fort Worth with me...I mean; you can visit you parents but I-"

He nodded and pulled her into a hug to silence her. "Alright, I'm going too."

She buried her face in the crook of his neck as a sob escaped her throat. She quickly pushed the rest of the back, along with her tears, and pulled away from his embrace. She took a breath and looked Nick in the eye. "Thank you."

_

* * *

_

_Alright...so they're off to Texas...oh what oh what will happen next? LEAVE ME A REVEIW PLEASE!_

_-Futuremisscsi60_


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

_(Later the night – CSI Crime Lab – Grissom's Office) _

Nick knocked softly on his supervisor's door and entered when he heard the greeting saying to do so. He pushed open the door as Grissom looked up in surprise. "Nick? What're you doing here? It's your day off...happy birthday by the way."

Nick nodded. "It is, and thanks. Actually, time off is why I'm here." Intrigued, Grissom set his glasses down and folded his hands in front of him. "I want to know if it's possible to extend my time off for a week or two longer."

Grissom raised a brow. "Is everything alright?"

"Uh, actually, no. Riley had a death in the family and she's flying out to Texas tomorrow. She wants me to go with her." Nick explained briefly and Grissom nodded.

"I was meaning to recommend you take some time off anyway...how long did you say?"

"About two weeks. The memorial service isn't till Thursday, but she wants to get there early to be with her family and help prepare for it. Then she's gonna wanna stay a little while afterwards and make sure everyone's alright."

"Are you going to see _your_ family also?" Grissom asked, knowing from the many phone calls he'd received from Nick's mother that she wanted to see him desperately. Ever since Nick's abduction his mother had been calling about every week to make sure her son was alright, several times the messages had been forwarded to Grissom, which was something the supervisor didn't enjoy.

Nick nodded. "I was thinkin about it..."

Grissom saw the wheels in Nick's head turning and smirked as he realized Nick would probably be introducing Riley to his family. "Alright, I can give you up to two weeks off." Grissom explained and Nick nodded and stood up.

"That's great. Thanks Grissom."

"Uh huh. Oh, and Nick..." Nick turned around just as he was about to exit the room. "Good luck..."

* * *

Nick turned the key to the front door of Riley's house and stepped inside. Instead of being assaulted by the harsh smell of cigarettes and beer, loud music or television, and crude language; Nick was greeted by the most somber vibe he'd ever experienced in the house. He sighed and nodded to the men in the living room, the only people not present were Deven, Emma, Riley, and Kiersten.

Nick ascended the stairs and walked to the end of the hall and knocked on Riley's door. It immediately opened to reveal everyone not present in the living room, plus Porsche, sitting in random places throughout the room, watching Riley pack a large duffle bag. Riley looked up and gave a soft smile to Nick and nodded him into the room. "Did you get the time off?" She questioned.

Nick nodded and looked over to see Porsche sobbing with her head in her hands, being soothed by Kiersten. Nick nodded his chin towards her, his eyes asking Riley if she was okay. Riley shook her head and zipped up the duffle bag and set it on the floor. "How're you holdin up?" Nick asked while walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her waist. She shrugged and rested her head on his chest.

"About as well as can be expected. Mama says she wants us to stay at her house if that's alright with you."

Nick looked at her surprised. "She knows I'm coming?"

Riley chuckled softly and rolled her eyes. "Nope, I'm gonna spring you on her as a funny surprise..."

"I just assumed...does your father know?"

"I chickened out. Mama said she'd do it. She knows how to handle him."

"Maybe it's not a good idea that I come..."

Riley pulled away from him and frowned a little. "Do you not wanna go with me?"

"No, no, no...I just, I didn't wanna make this any harder for you than it has to be. I just don't wanna put too much stress on you, and having your family meet me just now, under these circumstances..."

She shook her head. "I can call Mama and tell her not to tell anyone else, and you and I could just stay in a hotel..." She suggested and Nick shook his head.

"If you wanna stay with your parents its fine, I just don't want you to have to deal with your father meeting your boyfriend..."

She narrowed her eyes teasingly and smirked slightly. "Are you scared of meeting my father?"

A soft chuckle could be heard from the corner of the room, and everyone turned to see Porsche chuckling for the first time that night, glad to be snapped out of her inner hell. "He should be." She noted, wiping her face of the tears that had stained her cheeks.

"Hell yeah he should..." Deven added, shivering at the memory of Riley's father and all the threats the man had thrown his way.

Riley rolled her eyes. "Daddy's not that bad..."

"Riley, you're his baby girl. He's scary as Hell on his own, add a man's only little girl left, and the man that's currently bangin her...it's gonna be crazy insane. Hey can I come?" Kiersten asked and Riley shook her head and smirked.

"...Maybe I shouldn't go..." Nick replied and she smirked and reached for her bag.

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

"Nah, I'll come." Nick replied and Riley smiled and nodded. Nick was glad to see that the group could muster a slightly more contented appearance than what he had experienced a few moments ago. From what Riley had told him about her Aunt Dee, she was a fun, gregarious, laid-back Aunt that had a soft spot for her nieces and nephews. Family was the most important thing to her, that's why she was heart broken when she found out that she and her husband couldn't have children. Anytime a new baby came into the family, Dee Dee would always be holding, coddling, and playing with it.

Dee Dee was always there when Riley needed her. And the fact that she was no longer in her life was tearing Riley apart, though she wouldn't show it. Besides the fact that it was Riley's nature to keep things bottled up, Dee wouldn't have wanted everyone to cry and mourn over her.

A few minutes later the group was starting to file out of Riley's room to give her and Nick some privacy to get to sleep, for they had to be at the airport at the crack of dawn the next morning, throwing both of their internal clocks way off schedule. Kiersten gave Riley a comforting hug and whispered something in her ear, which made her smile gratefully and kiss her pseudo sister's cheek. Emma was the next to leave, giving Riley a hug and telling her bye and to call her before they left for the airport.

Deven gave Riley a hug and told her to send her family his love, as well as everyone else's. She had promised to do so and stepped out of the embrace to hug Porsche and comfort the slightly younger woman. The two of them stood there for quite a while, no doubt both of them both engrossed in their memories of their Aunt. After a while they pulled apart and whispered shortly before Porsche nodded and left. Nick came up behind Riley after she had closed the door and wrapped his arms around her shoulders and buried his head into the crook of her neck. She turned and wrapped her arms around him and held him close as she sighed and nestled her head into his chest.

"Wanna go to sleep?" Nick asked and felt her nod against his chest. Her bent over and swept her off her feet and carried her over to the bed. He laid her down and took off her slippers and socks and pulled the blanket up over track pants and tank top all the way up to her chin. He climbed into the bed next to her and cuddled up close, holding her there to let her know he was there to comfort her, and he wasn't going anywhere.

* * *

"Nick! Haul ass or we're gonna be late!" Riley shouted to her boyfriend from outside of the shower curtain. The water in the shower stopped and she smiled and shook her head. "I still don't know why you took a shower when you're going to be sitting on a plane for an hour, then just end up taking another shower to get the icky plane feel off..."

"Yeah well..." He stepped out of the shower dripping wet and wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped up to the mirror and reached for the shaving cream. "At least I'll be less dirty when I meet your parents than if I were to not shower and have the icky plane feeling." Nick reasoned, gesturing with the shaving cream bottle.

She laughed and shook her head. "Man...you are _so_ nervous."

"Nick, word of advice, don't let 'em smell your fear. They'll just eat you alive." Porsche replied, appearing in the bedroom. Nick and Riley looked out the door and saw Porsche laying on the bed smoking a cigarette.

"They're gonna eat him alive anyway." Kiersten commented, walking into the room with four cups of coffee. She handed two to the couple in the bathroom and then gave one to Porsche.

"What are you doing up so early Kit? You have to work...you need rest."

Kiersten shrugged. "Didn't get much sleep. Tossed and turned all night and couldn't get back to sleep. It's killin me that I can't go with y'all."

Riley sighed and nodded. "I know Chica, but the family understands that you can't get off work..."

"I'm gonna miss you guys...you're gonna be gone for a whole week?" Emma asked, coming into the room, mug of coffee in hand and Riley nodded. Nick watched as Riley visibly sobered and pursed her lips together as she fiddled with her toothbrush and began brushing her teeth to avoid any further conversation of why she'd be leaving. Nick noticed this and tried to get the other women out of the room so he could console Riley.

"Uh, guys...I need to get dressed so..." Nick replied and waited for the girls to clear out. The three girls in the room exchanged looks as if to say 'wait...does that mean we're supposed to leave?' When the girls didn't leave after a few minutes Riley released a chuckle and Nick blushed and gripped the towel tighter around his waist. Riley laughed and spit the tooth paste out of her mouth. The girls all joined her in laughter while Nick continued to blush at his backfired plan to divert Riley from the sadness surrounding their day.

* * *

"Hey Mama, we're at the airport now...no, the flight doesn't board for a while now, we got through customs quicker than we thought. Yes...yes, he's here, no not next to me. He ran off somewhere...the girls scared him about Daddy, so I wouldn't be too surprised if he ran back to his house and is hiding under his bed." Riley joked and laughed with her mother. "Oh wait, here he comes...aww." She smiled and gushed as she saw what he had in his hands when he neared her. "He brought me Vogue and Hershey's...and coffee." She smiled and kissed him as he finally reached her, then pulled away to answer her mother's question. "No you can't talk to him."

'Who is that?' Nick mouthed and Riley smiled.

'Mama.' She mouthed back and Nick extended his hand to her, showing that he wanted the phone. Riley shook her head and Nick pouted and made a gesture for her to hand it over. She smirked and turned away from him, only making him climb across the uncomfortable, plastic chairs and grab for the phone. She ducked away from him and tried to hide the phone while still talk to her mother.

"Yeah, no Mama, we'll be there around noon." She furred her brows and checked her watch. "Cause its only 7 a.m. now, it's a one hour flight, and then we're going to rent a car-" She shook her head as her mother said something on the other end of the phone. "No Mama, we can rent a car..." She rolled her eyes and smirked, still avoiding Nick's grabbing hands to talk to her mother. "Mama, you know Daddy won't let me use his Jag, he loves that thing more than he loves me." Riley joked and smiled. "Mama...Mama...Mama no, Ma-" She sighed in exasperation and caved. "Fine, fine. You win; we'll use the truck...alright..."

"_All passengers boarding the non stop flight 112 to Fort Worth, Texas please board now." _The lady over the airport's loud speaker announced.

"Okay, Mama I gotta go. I'll talk to you later. I love you."

"Tell her I said 'bye'." Nick replied, having given up on obtaining the phone a while ago and was now gathering their two carry on bags.

Riley smiled. "Nick says bye...uh huh," She pulled the phone away from her mouth. "She says 'bye' Nick." She rolled her eyes at the two of them and went back to the conversation with her mother. "Alright, we gotta go Mama. I love you...I know, I gotta go Maw. We'll see ya in a bit...bye." She finally hung up the phone and shot Nick a playful glare. "You gotta quit kissin my Mama's ass or my Daddy's gonna kick yours."

Nick feigned offense. "I'm not kissin her ass; I would just like one person there who doesn't automatically hate me when I meet your family."

She chuckled. "You'll have me...oh wait no...I hate you, never mind." She joked and Nick poked her in the ribs.

He scoffed and feigned-umbrage. "Just for that you can carry your own bag."

"Alright." She replied and took her bag from his hands.

"No! No, I was just kiddin baby." Nick insisted, hating the thought of her having to carry her own bag for Southern Gentleman-ly reasons.

* * *

"Ry, you gotta lay off the alcohol Darlin or you're gonna be shit faced when we go to see your family." Nick scolded lightly and took the tiny bottles from her hands.

"I _toooold_ you, I'm terrified of heights...that's why we switched seats so I wouldn't-" She hiccupped. "Wouldn't have to watch the-" Hiccup. "The clouds go by..." Hiccup. "Man...all this talk about being scared of heights is makin me scared of heights." Riley drawled in a drunken voice.

Nick smiled deviously and leaned over closer to her. "Ya know, we could do somethin to pass the time..." Nick waggled his eyebrows suggestively and Riley furred hers.

"You mean like a game? Cause, I don't think the license plate game is gonna work up here." Riley deduced, looking around uncertainly and Nick shot her a look as if to say 'are you really saying these words!'

"_Or_...we could go and uh...join a club..."

Riley furred her eyebrows. "The chess club?"

"No...we could go become honorary members of the mile-high club." Nick said winking and she gaped at him.

"You're not already a member of the mile-high club?" She exclaimed and Nick's eyes widened and he threw a hand over her mouth and ducked down in his seat.

"Ssshh!" Once everyone had stopped staring at him he shook his head. "You _are_...with who?"

She rolled her eyes. "I've only been with two guys including you Nicky." She replied, holding up three fingers. Nick thought about it for a moment, then frowned a little realizing that the guy had been Deven. "Hey, _you_ asked..."

Nick sighed.

She rolled her eyes and looked at him drunkenly. "Now don't do that, c'mon don't pout Nicky..." She begged, but Nick ignored her and began reading his magazine. "Nick, it was before I even _met _you...before I knew you existed."

He was silent as he turned the page. She sighed and rolled her eyes as she looked forward for a few minutes, then cracked a smile.

"I can't believe you're not a member of the mile-high club." She chuckled and Nick set down the magazine frustrated. He turned around and began to scan the isles. She furred her brows and looked at him oddly. "What're ya doin?" She slurred.

"Lookin for somewhere else to sit." Nick replied jokingly and she rolled her eyes and smiled ash she swatted his chest with her magazine. he grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him to plant a soft kiss on her lips. He scrunched his nose at the taste of the alcohol on her lips and she chuckled as he pulled away.

"Sorry." She apologized and stifled a yawn as she rested her head against the seat and tried to get comfortable. Nick smiled and pulled her over so that she was relaxing against him with his arm wrapped around her shoulders and the top of her chest, holding her close to him. He smiled and planted a soft kiss on the top of her head as her breathing evened out and she was asleep.

"Sleep tight Darlin..."

* * *

_(sighs) Sorry this took so long to post, my internet decided to be a tard-face and not let me on the site to post my books and I had a bunch of stuff to do, ironically including a funeral for a family member..._

_If you wanna know how it went (cause you're morbid like that) then just read the next few chapters..._

_-Futuremisscsi60_


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36 (hey, that's about as old as Nick...XD)**

"_Attention passengers, this is your Captain speaking, we are now landing in the Dallas International Airport, please fasten your seatbelts and put away all of your trays. Thank you very much." _

The click to signal the Captain had hung up the loud speaker phone sounded and Nick rolled his neck to work out the kinks in it. He looked down at Riley's sleeping form resting on him, and deciding it would be best to wake her after the plane had landed (considering how she had freaked out when it had taken off), he settled back down into his seat to let her sleep.

After the plane had landed Nick jostled her should lightly. "Riley, baby...wake up."

"Mmm...five more minutes Mama." She drawled and squeezed her eyes shut tighter. Nick chuckled and shook her shoulder again.

"Baby, we're home."

"Huh?" She asked and sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"We're back in Texas..."

She moaned and rubbed her eyes, then massaged her temples. "Did I happen to get into a head on collision with a semi while we were up in the air by any chance...?"

Nick smiled. "Well, depends on your distinction between a semi and some good ole' alcohol..."

She moaned and rubbed her head again. "I don't fly very well..."

"Yeah, I noticed. But it's alright. Cause we're done with the 'flying' for a while."

She smiled and thought back on a lot of her memories of being a wild teen in Texas, and her 'experiments' of 'flying' in her basement. "Not if history repeats itself..."

Nick shot her a disapproving look and she chuckled and shook her head. "Chill out old man, I'm only kiddin."

Nick rolled his eyes at the re-occurring 'pet name' she had been calling him for the past twenty four hours. "Why do you call me that?"

"Cause you complained when I called you Nicky."

"It made me sound like a little kid."

"Sounding like a little kid vs. sounding like an old man...take your pick." Riley replied while reaching above her head for her carry on bag.

"How about plain old Nick?"

"Hmm..._plain old_ Nick...I like it." She remarked sarcastically.

Nick rolled his eyes, a habit he had picked up from Riley, "Lil' Miss, you could find fault with the Dahlia Lama."

"He's too wrinkly." She remarked while yawning and Nick laughed and swatted her knee. She cracked a crooked smile and winked at him as he pulled her back to relax against his chest before they had to get off the plane.

-------------

Riley slung the bag over her shoulder and swatted Nick's hand away for the umpteenth time. "Nick! I can carry my own bag!" She protested while laughing and Nick sighed in defeat.

"At least let me carry your suitcase." Nick bargained and she rolled her eyes and took off towards baggage claim. "When are we supposed to meet up with your parents?"

"About six at their house. Paige is picking us up in the truck." She informed him and heard a loud shriek from across the airport. Both turned to see a blonde woman shrieking and hurrying towards Riley. Riley cringed and stole a glance at Nick.

"Bryn!" Paige exclaimed and enveloped her younger sister in a hug.

"Moses Paige! You're friggin huge for just three months!"

"Yeah, well..."

"Don't tell me your pregnant with twins..."

"Dear Lord I hope not!" The blonde drawled and shook her head. She turned her crystal blue eyes to the stunning fellow Texan native next to her sister and smiled. She turned back to Riley and nudged her. "_Bryn Riley Ann Turner._.." She chuckled and Riley blushed. "Nice job." She complemented, her accent thick.

"Okay, let's not scare him off quite yet a'right?" Riley drawled, her accent growing thicker from just being around her sister. "So where's-"

"Paige!" A male voice called and all three of the Texans turned to see a very stressed man about Paige's age escorting five youngins towards his wife. Three of them were running in circles around the mobile father, careful of the wheels of the stroller that was pushing the two squirmy one year olds.

"Tom." Riley finished and cringed at thinking about what would be to come when Nick met her entire family.

_Alright, maybe he shouldn't have come..._

"Paige, Jayden and Jaelyn need to go into the bathroom, and I don't think the ladies would appreciate me walking in on them...plus one of us has to juggle the troublesome trio..." Tom explained and ushered the little one year old and five year old over to their mother. Nick stole a quick glance at Riley, who was beat red from her family's insane nature. She cleared her throat and got Tom's attention. He shot her a glare. "You got somethin to say Turner?"

"Pssh, your mom's got somethin to say." She replied shooting him a glare also. The two held the glares before cracking up laughing at their old high school game they started and enveloped each other in a hug.

"I missed ya lil' sis. Your sister's bein drivin me _insane._" He joked and Riley laughed.

"You married her..." Riley chuckled.

"I heard that!" Paige shouted form down the airport terminal and both parties cringed.

"Yikes...its freaky how she does that." Riley replied and Tom shook his head.

"Dude, you have no idea."

"Duh, of course I do, I lived with her before you..." Riley laughed and stepped back to grab Nick's hand and gently pull him forward. "Tom, this is Nick Stokes. Nick, this is Thomas Oakley, Paige's husband."

"I got that." Nick whispered in her ear and she smirked and poked him in the ribs. The two men shook hands and exchanged hello's.

"Alright, I vote we ditch her here, take the truck, and go initiate ourselves _officially_ back in Texas..." Riley proposed and Tom laughed.

"It's a little early to be drinkin to the day Riley..." Tom informed her and she swatted his arm.

"Too late...anyway, I _meant_ we go pull a 'Friday-night-with-nothin-to-do-but-waste-a-tank-of-gas'..."

"Cruise the Sonic?" Nick asked and Tom smiled.

"You're from Texas." Tom stated, knowing that every Texan knew the tradition of being a bored teenager on a Friday night. Nick smirked and nodded wile Riley sighed softly in relief, glad that at least someone from her family (whom technically wasn't a blood relative) was making a good impression.

A few minutes later Paige and her two little girls returned all three of them hungry and anxious to get back to their house.

* * *

**---------Oakley Minivan----------**

"Now Bryn, remember, Mama's expectin y'all at the house at six _sharp_...she'll absolutely freak if you aren't there on time. So Nick, this is your job, make sure she starts leavin wherever y'all will be at least an hour before she actually has to..." Paige instructed and Nick smiled and nodded.

"Trust me, I know the drill." Nick vowed while Riley rolled her eyes and nudged him in the side. Nick smiled at the thought of how they were constantly late because of Riley taking forever and a half getting ready...either that or them getting side tracked. "We've been late enough times for me to get the point."

Riley scoffed and rolled her eyes. "It takes_ two_ to tango old man."

"And what a fun tango it has been young lady." Nick whispered seductively into her ear and she raised an eyebrow and gave a knowing smirk.

"You do know my Daddy calls me young lady right?" Riley drawled.

"Eew, no, not till just now. _Eew..."_ Nick said with a disgusted face and shivered. Riley laughed and turned to look at the scenery whipping past as Nick sat satisfied in simply watching her.

"Why are you looking at Aunty Bryn? Mommy says it's not nice to stare." A tiny girl's voice came from behind the couple. Riley and Nick turned to see Paige's eldest daughter, five year old Jayden Macy Oakley's doe-like blue looking at Nick curiously. Her blonde curls bounced as she bobbed her head from side to side like curios five year olds do. "Do you think Aunty Bryn is purty?"

Nick blushed and Riley pursed her lips and looked at Nick. "Yeah Nick, do you think I'm purty?"

"Do you wike hewr?" Three year old Travis Bae Oakley who looked just like his blonde, blue eyed father asked.

"Do ya Nicky? Do ya wike me?" Riley asked in a baby voice, cocking her head to the side as the little kids were doing. Nick blushed and ducked his head to hide the flushing of his cheeks. He coughed and shifted uncomfortably, not too thrilled about having to explain to curios toddlers what he was feeling about their Aunt.

"Uh...no, no I don't like her." Nick lied, hoping that would dodge their questions. Riley smiled and chuckled.

"Then why were you staring at her...?" Jayden asked.

"Yeah Nick, why were you staring at her?" Paige asked teasingly form the passenger's seat.

"Are you sure you don't like her?" Jayden asked as Riley put a hand in front of her mouth to stifle her laughter.

"Hows come you were stawrin?" Travis asked in a child's tone and Nick looked over at Riley.

"Well...you see...she has somethin on her face." Nick replied and Riley furred her brows. Nick quickly leaned in and pecked her on the cheek. He pulled away quickly, smiling and sat back in his seat facing forward. "I got it off your face for ya Darlin, don't worry." Nick reassured Riley, who blushed and looked away as her sister shot her an amused look and turned back around.

"_Duh _he likes her; he's been holdin her hand since they got off the plane." Terence Hayden Oakley replied from the seat next to his little brother. Terence rolled his eyes at the 'ignorance' of his little brother and sister. The two little kids peered as best they could around the seat to see their Aunt's hand tightly enclosed in Nick's.

"Yup, he likes her..." Jayden said matter-of-factly as if her deeming it so made it even more official.

* * *

_Alright, so what'd y'all think of the first 1/100 of Riley's family? Wonderfully weird...? Extremely eerie...? Crazy...? Insane...? Crazy-Insane...? _

_LEAVE A REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW!_

_Then stay tuned for the meeting of the rest of Riley's family. Chapter 37... "Coming soon to an inbox near you..." _

_AND PS, I know they seem a little up-beat for a family that's just lost someone close and dear to them all...but...(shakes head) you just gotta know them...I'll explain it all in the next chapter, but don't worry you Nick-and-Riley-angst-ridden-junkies!_

_There will be lots o' Angst and Drama to come!_

_-Futuremisscsi60_


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

_(Same day)_

Riley shifted the blue pick-up truck into a different gear and smiled, missing her first car ever and glad to be controlling it again. Nick was asleep in the seat next to her and she smiled and shook her head at her boyfriend and how utterly adorable he looked while sleeping...but then of course, when _didn't_ he look utterly adorable?

When they pulled up to a stop light she leaned across the seat and brushed the hair off of his forehead._ He is gonna sweat himself sick with his hair long like it is. _She thought absently. She sat back upright and slowly pressed on the gas pedal as she continued to drive towards her parent's house. Naturally, once they had gotten the truck back, they went to 'cruise the sonic' and grab a burger and fries there before taking off again.

She let her hand drop to the seat between them and continued driving. She felt a hand snake around and cup her own and squeeze it lightly. She stole a glance at Nick and saw that he was still sleeping and he had reached out for her hand in his daze. She smiled at that thought and placed a soft kiss on his hand as she continued to drive.

* * *

Nick's eyes slowly opened to come face to face with a glass window, overlooking a street and another large ranch style house. He furred his brows and sat up and stretched in the seat, then removed his seat belt and looked over at the red head sitting next to him. She was reclined against the seat, staring at the steering wheel. Nick reached over and brushed his fingers across her knuckles softly, jostling her from her trance of the ribbed steering wheel with leather cover.

She looked over at him and slowly smiled. "Hey sleepy head." She greeted.

"Hey you..." He looked around the neighborhood. "Is this it?"

"Nope...you looked cute sleeping so I pulled off before we got there and decided to let you sleep."

Nick looked around. "So...are we going to your house?"

"You mean back in Vegas? Sure." She replied only half joking and Nick scooted closer to her and grabbed her hand off the steering wheel.

"Ry..."

She sighed and rubbed her forehead tiredly.

"What's wrong...?"

"I just..." She sighed and shook her head. "If I go in there...I have to go to the funeral...which means she's really gone..." Riley pursed her lips and looked away while gulping back the tears, refusing for the umpteenth time to cry. "She can't be gone..."

"Riley," Nick turned and brought his knee up on the seat so that he could face her comfortably and talk. "I know it's hard...trust me, I just lost my Grams a year ago..." Riley looked over at him, tears brimming her insanely blue eyes and threatening to fall despite her best efforts.

"I didn't know about that..."

"That's cause I didn't tell you." Nick pointed out and Riley rolled her eyes slightly. "It's hard, and a lot of people are gonna tell you that. They're also gonna tell ya that you'll be alright, and everything will be alright, and they're in a better place...I don't have to drill that into your head cause I know it's already in there..." He squeezed her hand. "You know everything I'm gonna say...but I have no idea what's goin on inside you."

She sniffled and looked away.

"...Why won't you cry when anyone talks about it, or make a joke when someone sobers up?"

She sighed and looked down at her hands and began chipping the polish off her nails. She looked out her window and waited a while before finally speaking. "Aunt Dee was sick for a long time...a_ long_ time before...this..." She sighed and looked back down. "Before she, passed. And it was heartbreaking to watch her go through that. She was in pain constantly, couldn't move, couldn't speak...couldn't even breathe without feeling some kind of pain going through her. And she use to get so mad at us for crying for her...she always said that we'd all have time to mourn her after she was gone, but for the time being she wanted smiles...she was in enough of her own sadness, she didn't want us being sad for her too."

Nick began to piece together the puzzle. Riley didn't want to accept the fact that her Aunt was gone, so by keeping it all in, she'd still have the sense that she was here and not gone. "Baby, you know that you not crying isn't gonna bring her back..."

"I know." She said harshly and Nick nodded.

"Did you ever hear that Tim McGraw song, We Carry On?" She nodded. "You're gonna carry on baby...you can't put it off any more...I know it hurts, but trust me, you can't get on with the grieving process until you actually sit there and let it out. And I'm not sayin that you'll get over her and move on...cause I don't think that's true."

Riley looked over at him.

"I think, when you love someone, no matter what kind of love...if you loose it...you don't forget it. And you don't fill that place in your heart. I think that the hole is always there, and it never fully goes away...but as you get happier, you surround that hole with the memories of happier times with that person...and eventually...your heart grows. Like they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, I think what doesn't destroy your heart, no matter how much you think it does, makes your heart grow. Because you can't fill in that hole in your heart, it's a part of you, it helps make you who you are, it just gets surrounded by happiness and joy instead of heartache and despair. You get stronger each time, and in the long run, you get happier...you never forget that person and stop loving them...you just learn to live without them."

Riley looked down and closed her eyes and felt a tear slip down her cheek. She let out a quiet sob and Nick reached over and pulled her to him and held her against his heart while stroking her hair.

For what seemed like forever, but was really only ten minutes later, Riley pulled away with red, puffy, eyes, and tears stained on her cheeks. She sniffled and tried to wipe away the mess the tears had left on her face as she shook her head, hating the feeling she got after she cried. She felt weak.

Nick grabbed her hands in his, and cupped her cheeks, hoping she could feel and see what he felt and saw... "Stop it Riley, you're beautiful."

She laughed briefly and softly and looked away while giving a small smile. "...You're like Mr. Fix-It today huh?" She asked and Nick smiled and shrugged.

"Only with you."

She smiled softly and stroked his hand with her thumb. "Thank you."

Nick broke out into an iceberg-melting smile and Riley felt her heart turn into mush. "Anytime Darlin'." He drawled.

* * *

Riley pulled the truck to a stop in front of her childhood house and sighed, then turned to Nick with a nervous smile. "You ready?"

Nick peered around her at the three story house and sighed. "...Um..."

She smirked and winked at him, making him grin. "C'mon Cowboy, I'll keep you safe." She held out her hand and Nick took it and held on tightly as he slid out of the driver's side of the truck, not willing to break contact with her. The two started up the gravel circular road where the truck was parked up to the house. The large, mahogany ranch style house grew bigger and bigger as they neared it, making Nick's courage grow smaller and smaller.

The front screen door swung open to reveal a large, 6'2, 220 pound man, with long gray hair and multiple tatoos on his arm...not to mention he was armed with a shot gun. With one hand, he jerked the gun upward and cocked it, then aimed it at the man holding the hand of his baby girl...

Nick promptly turned on his heel and headed back to the truck, leaving a stunned Riley in the front yard. She turned to see Nick quickly walking back to sit in the truck, and she jogged after him. "Nick!"

"He's got a gun..." Nick murmered to himself.

_Alright, that's three times I've had a gun held in my face...what next? A box full of ants..?_

Nick thought in terror and slid into the truck. "Nicky!" Riley called and opened the driver's door, and knelt down so that her hands were resting on his knee supportively. "Nick..."

"He aimed a gun at me..." Nick mumbled, in a horrified trance. Warrick had always joked with him that his third encounter with a gun wasn't gonna be as lucky as his first two, and Nick only laughed and nodded, praying he was wrong. "I don't like guns."

"Honey, _relax_. Daddy's only shot that gun a _handful_ of times...and each guy he shot is still alive." She said honestly with a smile trying to look on the bright side. Nick dropped his jaw and looked at her in shock. She crinkled her nose and cringed. "_Oooh_...that didn't make you feel better did it?"

"Does he have a permit for that thing?"

"_Hell _no, you got a permit to ask such stupid questions!" Keith Turner called from the porch in a thick, husky Texan accented baritone voice. Nick gaped and shook his head.

"Nu uh, no...I can't handle guns Ry..." Nick said and Riley sighed. "I love you Honey...but he's got a gun..."

Riley looked over to see her mother come out onto the porch, roughly grab the gun and scold her husband for scaring Nick away.

"If the man can't handle guns Hope, he'll never make it in this family!" Keith shouted and Hope rolled her eyes and swatted her husband's arm.

"Shush up." She ordered and started off towards the truck. She quickly embraced her baby girl in a tight hug and kissed her temple. "Oh Bryn, I've missed you Baby Girl..."

Riley smiled and hugged her mother back. "I missed you too Mama."

"Now, you must be Nick." Hope smiled and stepped forward and extended her hand. "Hello, I'm Hope Turner. It's nice to meet you Nick."

Nick looked at Riley nervously and stuck his hand out to shake Riley's mother's hand. "Nice to meet you Ma'am." Nick greeted softly in a shaky voice. The pretty, hippie-like mother turned to her daughter and smiled approvingly before turning back to Nick.

"Now you just pay no mind to my husband...he's a little protective of his children..." She laughed and shook her head. "Why, I remember this one time, the mail man came and-"

"Mama! Uh...I don't think now's the time." Riley said, trying to be polite and subtle, only scaring Nick more. She shot Nick a sorry look and Hope cringed.

"Oh...I'm sorry son. Why don't you come into the house and you can meet the rest of the gang." The mother drawled in suggestion.

Nick looked at Riley and slowly climbed out of the car, relieved to see that Riley's dad was gone...but upset to see that he had taken the gun. Riley snatched Nick's hand and gave it a squeeze before winking at him supportively and leading him into the house that smelled of sugar cookies and maple. Nick took a look around the Southern/Hippy/Western décor of the house and let out a small smile despite his terror. If the décor had anything to say about the family...they'd be an interesting bunch, (which was a given).

"Who all is here?" Riley asked while turning to face her mother.

"Too many to count. I was thinkin of investin in name tags." Hope replied and Riley smirked.

"Where are they all?"

"The boys are in the backyard, the women are in the kitchen, and your father is in his den." Hope answered, shooting Riley a look at the last part. Riley nodded and then turned to smile at Nick.

"Since you're so much better with women why don't we introduce you to the girls first...?" Hope raised a brow at that comment and turned to look at Nick, who blushed and shot Riley a look. The red head merely smirked and pulled her boyfriend towards the kitchen. The entered to see several pregnant women and tons of pets lounging around. "Damn! Nothin ever changes around here!" Riley drawled loudly and all the women looked over and squealed. Nick and Riley were soon surrounded by women, all overly-hormonal and talking at the same time. Riley grimaced and covered her ears and shook her head. "Too many females at once!" She exclaimed and Nick laughed. He was right at home, having grown up with five sisters, and all the women he'd dated.

"Riley! Jesus are we glad to see you!" A man about Riley's height exclaimed, walking into the room and throwing her over his shoulder. "We're kidnappin her!" He exclaimed and took off running away from the hormonal women. Nick followed suit, afraid of being left alone without Riley. He found her in the backyard, still slung over the guy's shoulder, resting her elbow on his back and rolling her eyes as they welcomed her home.

"I need to go get Nick...he'll be passed around more than a football by ya'lls overly hormonal wives if he's left in there too long." Riley replied desperately, and smiled when she saw Nick at the door.

"Who's Nick?" Another man asked.

Riley wiggled out of her older brother's grasp and walked over to Nick. She led him to the herd of men in the backyard; each and every one of them had at least one beer in hand. "Guy's this is Nick Stokes. Nick, this is my oldest brother Russell," She pointed to the man who had slung her over his shoulder and the man raised his beer in a greeting. Nick smiled and nodded. "This is my second oldest brother Ryan, that's Logan, Ricky, Ronny, and you know Tom." Tom smiled and shook Nick's hand and Nick relaxed slightly, glad to see a familiar face besides only his girlfriend.

"Hey Nick, hope we haven't scared ya too much yet." Tom replied.

"From what I hear Keith took out the shot gun." A mystery man piped up. Riley shot him a look and swatted his arm.

"Shut up _Moosey_." She accented the nickname, causing the man to frown and punch her in the shoulder roughly. Nick winced and twitched, about ready to step forward, but Riley smirked and punched him back.

"I hate that damn nickname..." He mumbled and Riley laughed.

"I know, that's why I use it."

He rolled his eyes and punched her again, to which she caught his hand and pulled him into a quick hug. "Nick, this is my cousin Dennis."

Nick eyed the man slightly older than him and nodded. Though he was her cousin, he wasn't too thrilled about having some boxer-fit man punching Riley. Nick nodded politely and earned a smirk from Dennis, realizing he'd upset the newest guest in the Turner household by punching Riley.

Riley pointed to another man; he was rounder than the man before, but just as burley yet with soft brown eyes. "This is my other cousin from my Aunt Debbie, Will. And then his brother in law, Brian." Brian stepped forward and shook Nick's hand and Nick smiled and shook his hand back. "And this is Noah and Josh, they're Porsche's brothers." She informed Nick, who nodded, trying his hardest to keep everyone's names straight. "This is my Uncle Doc and Uncle Fred." She gestured to the two men, both with pot bellies and balding heads. Nick smiled and shook their hands and nodded politely.

"Nice to meet you sir."

"Oooh! Step back! We got ourselves a Good Ole' Boy!" A woman from the sidelines yelled. Riley laughed heartily and gave the woman a large hug. Terri walked with a slight limp and had naturally dark tan skin and an ear to ear smile and mischievous sense of humor. Her outspoken, Hell-will-care attitude and high tolerance for alcohol made her a blast at any social gathering...the Redneck kind anyway.

"Nick, this is my Aunt Terri." Riley grinned from ear to ear, making Nick happy to see her smiling for real.

"I'm her favorite Aunt too...but that's only cause I use to buy her beer and cigarettes 'fore she was legal." The true Redneck Woman replied and Nick laughed heartily and grinned ear to ear. "Ooh Child! Your boy's got a killer smile!" Terri exclaimed and nudged her niece in the ribs.

"Uh oh Riley, looks like you've got competition." Josh joked and everyone laughed except for Dennis.

"Alright, enough talk about my Mama's interest in men please." Dennis requested and everyone laughed harder.

"Is that everyone?" Riley asked.

"Everyone who's here now." Ricky answered.

"Alright...well we'll get to the rest later." Riley replied and looked towards the window of the kitchen and sighed. "I may need a beer before I go back in there." With that she reached for a Samuel Adams and tossed it to Nick before taking one fore herself.

* * *

About a half hour and three beers later Riley ventured into the house, in search of more beers because she, the other fourteen men, and her Aunt, had drunk both coolers. She went to the fridge in the large kitchen and tried to ignore the chatty pregnant women behind her. "What're you doin Bryn?" Hope asked and Riley sighed and stood up.

"Gettin more beers."

"There were two coolers out there!" Her mother exclaimed and Riley shot her an amused look.

"Mama, Terri and fourteen other men are out there..."

"How many have you had?"

"Three."

"That's enough for you. I don't want you drunk tonight."

"Bech'a Nicky does." Amber replied and Riley shot her a glare, knowing her mother wouldn't approve of that.

Hope sighed and shook her head, not wanting to think about her baby girl's sexual antics. "I won't get drunk Mama, I swear. I have a high tolerance for alcohol and liquor."

Her mother sighed again and Riley smiled deviously, knowing she'd ruffled her mother's feathers and got a kick out of it. "Well what'd ya expect Mama, she _is_ a bartender." Paige pointed out.

"You know what they say about bar tenders..." Candice joked and Riley shot her a look.

"Not helpin." She whispered harshly, only making the other woman laugh and smile to see their family members squirm...it was all in good nature though.

"You know, she's a nurse too..." Victoria pointed out.

"You know what they say about nurses..." Brandy replied and Riley swatted her arm. "Hey! Take it easy, I'm with child." She joked and Riley chuckled despite herself. No matter how crazy or stupid her family acted, they always made her laugh.

"So when are we gonna meet the boyfriend Bryn...?" Cynthia asked.

"As soon as your lazy husbands and boyfriends get their asses out of their chairs and hold y'all back so I know you won't jump him."

Paige scoffed and rolled her eyes. "He's not_ that_ hot."

Just then, Nick came in while talking to Dennis and laughing at the other man's joke. Nick caught sight of Riley and felt a grin spread across his face merely at her presence. The grin wasn't lost on the other women, and they all felt themselves swooning and melting...not to mention drooling. Nick smiled wider as he saw Riley grin, although he wasn't sure why she was laughing, and he took a step towards her. Before he could get any farther a pregnant woman blocked his path. Brandy smiled and stuck her hand out.

"I'm Brandy, Brandy King." She greeted and Nick chuckled and shook her hand. She grinned at the contact as Dennis rolled his eyes behind Nick.

"I _am_ here ya know." He said to his long time girlfriend.

"I know, you're the annoyin blob that's kinda hard to miss." She shot and all the woman laughed and 'ooh'd' at the comment.

"Burn!" Riley exclaimed and Dennis shot her a look and quickly went to punch her in the shoulder again. She punched him back before Hope stepped in.

"Calm down children...the actual children will be back any minute and we don't need to be settin wrestlin examples for them."

"Oh, you wanna see wrestlin Aunt Hope?" Dennis exclaimed playfully and slung Riley over his shoulder and ran into the living room. All the people from outside and the women from the kitchen ran to the living room to watch the boxing match go down.

"I said no boxing!" Hope exclaimed wearily, but sighed and threw her hands in the air in defeat, knowing they'd eventually quit the match before anything was broken...excluding bones of course. While these fights were all in good fun, they could get pretty rough, and all the men of the family, and Riley, were no stranger to broken bones, obscene bruises, and dozens of cuts and scrapes.

Dennis moved the table out of the way as he and Riley circle around and danced around the living room, getting themselves psyched for the 'fight'. Nick was cringing and internally praying for them to not wrestle. He knew Riley was tough, and had no doubt that she could take whatever they threw her way without them even going easy on her, but he wasn't exactly the biggest fan of watching her wrestle with a man twice her weight.

Suddenly Dennis tackled her to the floor as the two began to roll around and pin each other to the floor, exchanging friendly blows and punches to the arms, shoulders, legs, and the occasionally biting of the forearm, for which Riley was promptly tackled back down to the floor. Everyone cheered and chanted for Riley and Dennis and shouted demands of how to fight, only fueling the fire of play fighting. Nick cringed every time Riley received a blow and looked around for someone who they would listen to, to order them to stop.

Suddenly a deep, authoritive voice echoed throughout the room, interrupting the wrestling. Everyone stopped and turned to see Keith Turner raising his eyebrow. "Would y'all grow up and stop being dumbasses for about two minutes so your mother can finish dinner?"

"Yeah Mama, I'm hungry." A man about the same age as Riley's father but 6'4 and about thirty pounds heavier man said playfully.

"Uncle Larry!" Riley exclaimed and ran over to jump in the arms of her pseudo Uncle. He laughed heartily and gave her a bear hug.

"Hey Sugar! I missed you kiddo!" He greeted and she laughed and slid out of his grasp and shrugged.

"Work's been a bitch."

"_Bryn_." Her mother warned and Riley rolled her eyes and smiled.

"So you've been in Vegas...you couldn't call?" Larry accused and she gave him the infamous crooked smile that could get her out of anything...he laughed and hugged her again, forgiving her as everyone did and kissed the top of her head. "So where's the boy toy?" He asked and everyone pointed to Nick.

Nick felt incredibly small...kind of like a tooth pick compared to this guy...he could snap him in half like it was nobody's business. Larry gave a skeptical eye and stepped forward to intimidate Nick. It took everything Nick had not to shrink back from the man, and was taken off guard when the much older man laughed joyfully and embraced him in a hug. "Great to meet ya Buddy!" The Santa Clause like man replied cheerily and Riley had to laugh at the expression on Nick's face.

"Um...nice to meet you too Sir." Nick replied, taking a step back. He saw Riley's dad glare at him and raise his brow skeptically, and somehow, Nick didn't think that he'd be getting a bear hug from the man...

* * *

_Tee hee...I just love scarin Nicky...it's my favorite pastime...well...(smirk) never mind...let's leave it at CSI is way too addicting for its own good..._

_Lol, yeah, y'all might say that this family is a little out there...but I'm tellin ya...I couldn't make this stuff up...oh, wait...(raises eyebrow) _

_Anyway, be nice little readers, and review...cause it makes me happy...(smiles at thought of reviews) _

_-Futuremisscsi60_


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N: **_Alright, get your tissue boxes ready...are they ready..? Cause I've got some saddening news...The book is coming to a end (ducks under desk as objects are hurled at her) Yikes! Calm down! I'm doing a sequel...the book is getting too long...it's a big sexy beast! Lol...so, this will one of the last chapters...I think I'll take it up to the funeral, then the funeral will be in the next book, picking up exactly where this leaves off. Okay? Okay. On we go..._

**

* * *

Chapter 38 **

With a flip of the switch, the room was illuminated in light, causing a grin to spread on both faces. "Oh. My. God." Riley said slowly as she slid her bag off her shoulder and looked around her childhood room, kept the same was as she left it.

"Wow...it's _so_...not you." Nick replied as he walked slowly around the room, taking in the memorabilia he had no idea the significance of.

"How so?"

"It's a girl's room." She slapped his arm and rolled her eyes as Nick recoiled playfully and laughed. "I mean, it's girly...too girly to be your room."

"It's not girly..." She replied.

"It's girlier than your room is now..."

"That's because I live in a house full of guys...and when I'm not there I'm with you...doesn't leave much room for foof."

"What?"

"Foof...foofy-ness...girly-ness..." She said doing a weird shimmy-like dance as if that would help explain the odd word.

Nick laughed. "Did you just make that word up?"

She smiled. "Baby, I make up about 50 percent of the words I say..."

Nick smiled and looked around the Royal purple, lilac, light green and sky blue room. He raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "I'm kinda freaked out..."

She slapped his arm again. "Lay off. I'm sure your room was pretty different than it is now..."

Nick shrugged and smiled at the posters he saw. "Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, ACDC, The Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, Jimmy Buffet, Z Z Topp, The Who, The Beatles, Queen...shit girl." He replied and nudged her making her smile.

"Born in the 80s but I loved the 70s, and 60s..." She said while shrugging.

"Ah...Albert Einstein too. He fits nicely with the group." Nick said while gesturing to the picture of Albert Einstein making a funny face with the equation for energy floating around him. "Were you a science geek lil' lady?"

She smiled and shook her head. "Not really...I think I was 'under the influence' when I got that...either that or Shaun got it for me."

Nick chuckled. "What's the difference?"

She joined in the laughter and plopped down on her king size bed and laid back, stretching her arms above her head and sighing as she did so. Nick did the same and grabbed her hand as he stretched out. He smiled and looked over at her. "Ya know...this is a pretty big bed for one lil' lady...sleepin in this must be _lonely_..." Nick replied waggling his eyebrows. She laughed and shook her head.

"Nah, not with all the men I've shared it with." She responded, causing Nick's face to fall ten feet. She laughed and shook her head. "C'mon Nick, you set yourself up for that one." She laughed and Nick began to pout. "Oh you big baby...quit pouting. You know its not true."

"Eh..."

"Chill out, this bed has never seen any action, from me at least, I don't know about Tom and Paige..." Riley replied and Nick raised an eyebrow at her.

"You never 'did it' in this bed?" He asked.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "God, be more seventh grade please." She requested sarcastically.

Nick waggled his eyebrows and rolled over so that he was laying on top of her, pinning her to the mattress. "Hmm..._so_...wanna christen the bed?" Nick drawled in a deep voice as he kissed her neck lightly. She chuckled and shook her head.

"Oh no. No sex in my bed, my parents would kill me." She replied and pushed him off of her.

"Be more seventh grade please." Nick mocked and tried to climb back over to her. She laughed and pushed him away again, but, being the relentless man that he is, he tried again. This time he grabbed her hands and held them to her sides as he nibbled her neck. She giggled and squealed and tried to get away from the tickling sensation, only making Nick laugh and tickle her more.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" She begged and squealed as he continued. "Nick!" She laughed and tried to squirm out of his grasp. He maneuvered her arms so that he was holding her arms down his one hand and tickling her sides with the other. She squirmed and kicked as Nick dodged her legs and continued tickling her. "Ah! Mercy!" She screamed and Nick laughed.

"Say the magic word..."

"Please!"

"_Noooo..."_ He teased.

"Abra Cadabra!"

"Nope. Try again."

"Bipity Bopity Boo!"

"What?" Nick asked in utter confusion. The distraction worked, and Nick loosened his grasp enough for her to slip free and dash from underneath him.

"Ha! I win!" She declared.

"Like Hell you do!" Nick declared playfully and ran towards her. She squealed and hauled ass through the house, and ran down the long hallway to the stairs which she flew down, through the living room, and out the back door. They passed the crowd of her family all gathered in the backyard, laughing and joking. They turned their heads to watch the two running around the backyard and chuckled. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, Riley being chased around the backyard by someone.

"Mama help!" She laughed as she continued to peel through the yard, Nick laughing and pumping his legs faster behind her, gaining on her by the second.

"No fair! No family involved!" Nick declared. Riley came to a short stop, not giving Nick enough forewarning so he crashed into her, sanding them both to the ground. The family 'ooh'd and laughed as they watch Nick jump up off of his girlfriend worriedly. "Oh God! Riley are you hurt! Oh God I'm sorry! Are you alright?!" Nick asked fretfully.

Riley let out a moan/laugh and squeezed her eyes shut. "Ooooh Man! I'm seein stars!" She drawled and laughed as she hugged her ribs. "Geez fat ass, break my ribs why don't you."

Nick knelt down next to her cautiously. "Baby I am so sorry."

"'Eh, she'll be fine! She's had worse falls than that!" Logan declared from the sidelines. Nick took Riley by the hand and helped her up.

"What hurts besides your ribs?"

"My ass...wanna kiss it and make it better?" She teased, wincing from the pain and causing everyone but Nick to laugh. He smirked and shook his head while leaning in to whisper in her ear,

"I don't think now is the time or the place Darlin...maybe later." Riley smirked and waggled her eyebrows at his suggestive comment. "So you sure you're not hurt?"

"I'm hurt, but it's nothin a beer or strong glass 'a whiskey won't fix." Riley diagnosed as the two of them joined the social gathering.

"I think you've had enough alcohol Bee-Bop." Riley's mother called and Riley rolled her eyes.

"Bee-Bop?" Nick asked with a smirk on his face. "That's so adorable."

Riley rolled her eyes and swatted his arm. "Watch it Dallas." She threatened.

"Why do y'all call her Bee-Bop?" Nick asked, ignoring the warning.

"Cause she's always getting into scuffles and getting bop-ed with somethin." Ryan informed him.

"That's so you." Nick said smiling and pinching Riley's cheeks. She scrunched her nose and swatted his hands away.

"Fuck face. That's so you." She replied playfully.

"Bryn...I can deal with the other language, but not that word." Hope informed her youngest. Riley chuckled and shrugged.

"What? It's Nicky's nickname."

"Well give him a new one." Her mother reasoned. "I'm sure his mother doesn't appreciate you calling her son a...what you called him."

Nick tried not to think of the fact that his mother still didn't know Riley existed...

"Alright, how about Dip Shit?" Riley suggested.

"Hey! That's my name!" Dennis defended and everyone laughed.

"Can't I have a nice nickname?" Nick asked and Riley shrugged.

"Nicknames can't be misleading." She ribbed and Nick shook his head and smiled.

"You're mean." Nick accused.

"Yeah, she's a bitch, but unfortunately for you, you can't pop her one so she'll leave you alone." Ricky replied.

"That doesn't work anyway." Paige replied, causing them all to laugh and Riley to roll her eyes.

"I'm not _that_ bad...am I?" She turned to Nick. "Nick am I that bad?"

"'Course not." He said and kissed her forehead.

"Yeah, you would say that, considering the fact that she's been givin you- OW!" Logan exclaimed when his mother whapped him upside the back of the head. Nick and Riley both blushed at what had been insinuated.

"By the way Nick, there are no secrets with my family..."

"Not that it was really a secret anyway." Brandy replied and Riley shot her a playful glare.

"Don't be jealous cause my man puts out." She said smirking and snaking her body in a sassy manner. Everyone laughed and 'ooh'd.

"Bryn! Are you tryin to give Larry and I heart attacks!?" Her mother exclaimed and put her hand over her heart. Riley laughed.

"Just be glad y'alls father ain't out here." Terri pointed out, gesturing to them with the bottom of her beer bottle.

"Speak of the Devil..." Dennis replied, looking towards the door. All the heads snapped in that direction in worry, only to find it empty and Dennis snickering. 26 hands reached out to slap Dennis, making him wince. "Damn y'all! I was only jokin!" He rubbed all the wounded parts of his body and shook his head.

* * *

A few hours later the family still sat out in the backyard, yet this time they were all gathered around the fire pit, watching the orange flames roar and stretch upwards. The crackling of burning wood, the smell of smoke, charred trees, beer, and Texas nights hung in the thick air. The flames cast magical glows on the surrounding patrons, and the smiling faces and old family stories made Nick grin.

Now meeting the family of the woman he loved, he understood her so much more. He saw mannerisms she and her siblings portrayed; how she and Paige, much like she and Kiersten, knew what each other was saying without having to say it. The same way Riley and her mother rolled their eyes at whatever the men of the family were saying. They also had the same smile and laugh, though Riley's was louder. She got the outrageously blue color of her eyes from her father, yet the softness, understanding, and wild spirit he saw reflected in those baby blues came from her mother.

He saw most similarities between her and her father though. She pursed her lips to hide her smile the same way he did and ducked her head then closed her eyes and shook her head silently at whatever idiot move had been portrayed. They had the same way of speaking and story telling. Both of them liked to simply sit back and watch the festivities going on around them, studying each person and the group as a whole, and then tossing in their two cents when the occasion called for it. He also caught them both making the 'Riley-thinking-face' which he had guessed originated as the 'Keith-thinking-face'.

Nick felt Riley shift on the double-seated camper chair beside him and he looked over at her. She was smiling and denying whatever story was being told about her, then rolling her eyes when no one believed her and smiling guiltily. Nick slid his hand across the rough material of the chair and grabbed hers resting next to her thigh. She squeezed his hand back and sent a wink his way, making him grin wider.

"...So she finally gets out of the dryer and starts complaining about how her hair smelled like fabric softener and was now frizzy." Riley's Cousin Tabitha finished and everyone laughed.

"Well excuse me for not wanting to smell like laundry soap and look like a giant red poodle when I'm going out with my friends." Riley defended, only making everyone laugh harder. She rolled her eyes and scoffed playfully. "I don't have to take this abuse anymore, I'm goin to bed." She finished and stood up to exit the gathering. Nick stood with her and followed her as she made her way around the large circle, pecking all of her family members on the cheek. "I'll see y'all in the mornin." She drawled sleepily.

"Yeah, I'm gonna turn in too." Hope replied and Keith stood with her.

"Yeah, Candice fell asleep about an hour ago, but she's too big to move." Russell joked and finished his beer as Ryan came over to help his older brother from underneath the sleeping form of his six month pregnant wife.

Slowly the people filed out and the fire died down. The commotion didn't settle down until most everyone had gotten into their cars and left, leaving only Hope, Keith, Paige, Tom and all five of their children as well as Nick and Riley. The kids were put into Riley and Paige's brother's old bedrooms as Paige and Tom took Paige's old room and Riley walked down the hall with Nick towards her room.

"Riley." The stern baritone drawl of her father sounded.

Riley sighed and turned around, knowing what this was going to be about. "Daddy, Mama already said that Nick and I had to share a room 'cause Paigey and Tommy's kids are in every other room." Riley immediately defended.

"I _did_ say that Keith." Hope confirmed, coming up behind her husband and laying a hand on his arm.

"I don't care Hope. We have a perfectly fine guest room that the boy can use." He declared and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Daddy I'm not a little girl anymore. You _do_ know that Nick and I share a room most of time at his place anyway right?" Riley replied, making Nick shift uncomfortably at the glares he was getting from Riley's father for 'defiling' his baby girl.

"Keith just," Hope began trying to get him to leave the two be.

"No." He said firmly. "Nick can take the couch or the basement for that matter but I will not have y'all in the same room."

"This is friggin ridiculous! You act like we're gonna have sex like wild animals. We're just sleepin!" Riley declared harshly.

"Watch your tone with me young lady." Keith boomed.

"I am almost 25 years old. I'm grown up Daddy. Quit treating me like I'm some little girl that needs to be watched over 24-7."

"I don't care if your 100, as long as you're in my house, y'all are gonna abide by my rules! And I will _not_ have some hot blooded boy all over my daughter under my house!"

"Fine! We'll go to a hotel." Riley countered and Keith's eyes widened at the thought of her being in a hotel room, alone with Nick.

"Riley, no. Both of y'all need to stop it now 'fore y'all someone up and we have _another _cryin baby on our hands." Hope snapped and both parties were silent. "Riley, you can stay in your room and Nicholas can have the spare room." Hope replied and held up her hand to silence the rebuttal she was going to receive from her youngest. "It's settled Riley."

"But Mama, you said before-"

"I know what I said before." Riley sighed and rubbed her forehead tiredly and looked over at Nick standing awkwardly in the hallway, too nervous to give his opinion on the matter. "Alright...go to your rooms."

"Um...my bag is in your room." Nick whispered.

"What was that boy?" Keith drawled harshly.

"Stop it Dad. His name is Nick, not 'boy'. He just needs his bag outta my room." Riley replied tiredly and shook her head as she motioned for Nick to follow her. Hope shook her head and went back to her room as Keith waited in the hallway for Nick to reappear. Sure enough he walked back into the hallway a few moments later and Riley stood in the doorway.

"Um...where's the guestroom?" Nick asked softly, about ready to crawl under the nearest bed and cry in fear and wish the much bigger man away like a little boy. Riley gestured towards the door a few doors down from her parents and quickly gave him a chaste peck on the cheek. "Nite Nick."

"G'nite Darlin." He drawled and hurried off towards his room and away from her father. Riley turned to see her father watching her every move like a hawk, and shook her head and glared.

_Looks like we're picking up just where we left off_... She thought bitterly as she walked towards her room and slammed her door, hopefully making the point to her father.

_

* * *

(Riley's Room 2:01 a.m.) _

Riley lay on her side, facing her open doorway sleeplessly. The moon from the window by her door cast a white glow on the darkened room, making trees dance in the shadows case down across the hardwood floor. She heard a creak outside her door and a tall figure appeared in her doorway. A deep sigh was heard as the figure leaned against her door. The figure stayed there for a few minutes watching what it thought was her sleeping form. "I love you." The southern whisper came.

She squeezed her eyes shut and let a silent tear slip down her cheek. The floorboards creaked as the figure turned to walk away. "Daddy...love you more." She whispered back. Her father paused a minute, then continued down the hall and back to his room. She heard his door close and she felt another tear fall down her cheek and she rolled over on her back and stared up at her ceiling.

_

* * *

_

WHAAAA!!!!!!!!! THEY'RE SO EMOTIONAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

_There is no stronger love and sense of protection than a father and his baby girl..._

_Whew..._

_Alright, review and let me know what ya think!  
_

_DO IT YA HEATHENS!! XD _

-Futuremisscsi60


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

Riley moaned and rolled over in her bed and felt around for Nick where she had left him. Her hand felt nothing but cool sheets. Her eyes popped open curiously and scanned the room, then she bolted upright when she realized she wasn't in Nick's room. Suddenly it all came back to her and hit her like a harsh buzz...that annoying singing wasn't helping either. Wait...? Who was singing at five in the morning?

Riley realized it was her phone, and by the ring tone of Sugar We're Goin Down by Fall Out Boy, Riley knew that Emma was calling her. She sighed and reached over for the pesky phone and answered it grumpily. "Hello?" Riley grumbled and tried her best to rub the sleep from her eyes.

"Riley, I need to talk."

Riley immediately opened her tired eyes, now becoming fully awake and aware that something was wrong...Emma only greeted her like that when something was wrong...and if she was the cause of it. "What did you do?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you…"

"Fucking tell me already woman, you said you needed to talk." Riley growled grumpily, she wasn't the nicest person in the mornings...

"I had sex with Porsche last night, I'm not even sure how it all happened it just happened and I don't know how to take it back and I'm not even sure if I regret it all that much and I wasn't even drunk I can tell you that right now which might actually add to how stupid I was and..." Emma said hurriedly, basically making it all one sentence and jumbled together...but Riley her loud and clear.

"Hold on, hold on one second…" Riley got up out of the bed and locked herself in the bathroom connected to her room and plugged the crack under the door with a towel. "What the fuck were you thinkin?!" Riley screamed into the phone having processed the information, and now having a suitable place for Emma's good ole' fashion Texas tongue lashin'...

"Riley I don't even know how it happened!" Emma sobbed into her phone, "It just… happened."

"Okay, okay. Just..." Riley sighed heavily and ran a frustrated hand through her long red hair. "Have you told Greg yet?" She finally asked.

There was a long pause and the sound of a sob before Emma's answer came, "No." Emma whispered into the phone.

Riley sighed again and sat down on the lid of the toilet tiredly, resting her elbows on her knees and holding her head with her free hand. "Emma, what are you going to tell him?" She inquired; all of the sudden overcome with tiredness again.

"I don't think I was planning on telling him anything." Emma spoke honestly.

"Okay so hold on one second, you break up with Porsche because she cheats on you and essentially lies to you because she didn't tell you that she cheated on you and now you're gonna do the exact same thing to Greg and expect to get away with it? What the fuck Em?!" Riley whispered heatedly into the phone, all her inhibitions for hurting her good friend's feelings having gone out the window when she learned that she had cheated. "I mean how can you possibly think that by not telling him you're doing him a favor? You're basically setting yourself up for heartbreak except this time it's gonna be your own fucking fault!"

"I wish this would all just go away." She wept helplessly.

"Well it's not going anywhere! This is reality Em! You cheated on Greg and don't tell me that you guys weren't official because who the Hell cares! He trusts you and you trust him. There's a connection and you sleeping with my cousin doesn't exactly convey to him that you're very loyal to your new found affection." Riley hissed into the phone, speaking so fast that she could barely make words.

Emma just sobbed. "I didn't mean to Ry! I swear! I gave her a ride home, she offered me a drink, I said no. Then she starts crying about your Aunt Dee Dee and the next thing I know we're both naked on the couch! It wasn't intentional at all and I didn't anticipate it!"

"Could you have stopped yourself?" Riley asked sternly, knowing damn well that Emma could have. Riley saw right through the silence on the other end, "Listen, you need to tell Greg. God willing, he's gonna be able to see that you were willing to be honest. Don't give him shitty excuses like you're trying to give me cause that's not gonna fucking work sweetheart. You have to prove to him that you can be loyal. And lemme tell you, it's gonna be hard and it's going to suck so much you won't know what to do with yourself. But if you really care about him, you'll do it because he means that much to you. Look, I have to go, but remember what I said. You fucked this up...and you've got to put it back together." She sighed again and ran a hand through her hair again before standing up. "Call me later."

"I will."

Without sending a greeting goodbye, Riley hung up the phone and sighed aggravated. She removed the sound barrier from the door and opened it to reveal her darkened room. She sighed again and realized she wouldn't be going back to sleep. Normally if she had been waken up, all she would have to do was crawl back under the covers and close her eyes before she would be out like a light, but right now she had too much weighing on her mind.

She grabbed her fluffy navy blue polyester blanket off of her bed and dragged it over to the cushioned window seat parallel to her bed. She brought her knees to her chest and draped the comfy blanket around them and sighed as she leaned her head against the wall.

The light blue from the sky was beginning to settle in and cast a white glow throughout the room. The first hints of yellow could be seen on the tops of the trees across the river butting through her backyard. Suddenly, an idea struck Riley, and she smiled and climbed off the window seat and went to her door. She crept silently down the halls, down the stairs, and out the back door. The humid morning air hit her immediately, and she pulled the hair band from the pocket of her sweat pants and pulled her hair up in a loose bun and walked out and off the cement porch, across the grass to the fire pit, passed that to the cobblestone circles leading to the small hexagon shaped deck/dock outstretched over the tiny indent in the lend above the river.

She went to the head of the dock and leaned against the wooden rail, letting her knees bend and rest on the wooden beams connecting the rail to the floor of the deck. She looked down to the water as the wind blew softly, creating ripples among the relatively still water, and causing the green moss to swirl about and settle far to the right of the river. She saw a pelican swoop down and graze the water before picking back up into the air and flying beyond the length of the thick trees on the other side of the river.

From the branches of the trees to the deck where Riley was standing was roughly 100 feet. Six feet underneath the dock Riley was standing was a small patch of grass, sloping inwards like a cave of grass and dirt, before taking a few steps out to the a 10X10 wooden dock four feet above the top of the water. Next to the dock was man made wooden stairs curving slightly to a gate, leading to the backyard and deck. The stairs and top deck/dock was lined with tiki lamps, as was the wooden deck with the hot tub next to the cement porch at the back sliding door of the house.

Riley's parents had added on the deck and hot tub while Riley was in high school, and had then added the wooden shed full of hot tube cleaning supplies and other backyard necessities the following year. Riley smiled at the memory of helping build just about every addition in her backyard.

The sun was staring to rise slowly over the tops of the trees, reflecting upon the river. The sound of the sliding door opening and closing caught Riley's attention, and she turned to see Jayden step out onto the porch, then hesitate before letting her feet touch the dew covered grass. She dashed towards the cobblestones, and had to stretch her tiny legs to reach each cobblestone without letting her tiny feet feel the grass. Her blonde spiral curls bobbed up and down as she bounded towards her 'Aunty Bryn'. She quickly jumped onto the wooden deck and smiled at Riley, showing her first missing tooth gap, her doe eyes sparkling happily at seeing her favorite Aunt.

Riley smiled and chuckled at her niece. "Hey Sweetie, whatcha doin up so early?" She asked softly, a regular tone seeming too harsh for the gentle morning.

"I saw you f'um my window and wanted to see 'da sun come up." Jayden drawled in her falsetto voice and held her arms up to her Aunt, signaling she wanted to be held. Riley bent over to pick up the little girl, small for her age and weighing barely anything. Jayden balanced herself on Riley's hip and gripped the ragged old blanket of off white, light blue, pastel pink and green, and soft yellow plaid print. Several holes could be found in the woven fabric, as well as a few pieces of random fabrics, sewn onto a few holes. The family-tradition baby blanket had been handed down to each eldest girl in the family, except when Riley's eldest Aunt had lent Riley's mother the blanket when she was sick. Hope had grown so attached to the thing that Libby didn't have the heart to take it back. So Hope had given it to Paige, then Paige has given it to her eldest girl, Jayden.

The two females watched as the sun slowly continued to rise over the trees and peek out smiling down on the Earth. Both girls smiled, and then turned to sit on the wooden benches connected to the dock to watch the river and sky. Riley smiled when she spotted something in the river. "Jay, look..." She drawled in soft instruction and pointed to the log-like animal floating in the river.

Jayden squealed in excitement then stood up quickly on the bench and held onto the rail to watch the 'gilly-gator', as the alligators were affectionately named amongst the Turners and everyone in between the family, float across the river. Riley held onto Jayden's waist, making sure the toddler didn't topple over to the land beneath them.

The sliding door open and closed again and both girls turned to see Travis escorting Jaelyn out across the grass towards them. Travis held onto his blue monkey tiredly with one hand, gripping his baby sister's with the other. The two took a while to finally reach the dock because Jaelyn was fumbling through the grass with her chubby little legs. Travis never complained or hurried her along; he waited patiently and helped his baby sister when she needed it, finally reaching the dock.

Jaelyn grinned triumphantly, the corners of her mouth and a few teeth showing around the edges of the child's pink binky. She held her arms outstretched and whined slightly, signaling that she too wanted to be held by her Aunt. Riley chuckled and picked up the baby and placed her on her knee. Jaelyn sighed happily and leaned back against Riley's voluptuous chest as she cuddled her velvet and polyester pink blanket. Travis hopped up on the bench next to Riley and swung his legs back and forth as he watched for the alligators.

"Aunty Bryn, how come I never getta see the gilly-gators?" He asked sadly and Riley laughed and patted his knee.

"You just have bad timing kid...you get that from your mama's side of the family." Riley informed him as Travis huffed.

"Up. Up." Jaelyn demanded in her angelic baby voice.

"You're already up Lyn." Riley explained while chuckling and trying to keep the squirmy baby still.

"_Uuuup_." She whined and tried to stand, but was having much difficulty. Riley helped her stand up and placed the baby on her own thighs and wrapped an arm around her waist so that she could keep her from falling. The sliding door opened and closed and Riley groaned.

"Please, no more kids." She pleaded and looked over to see Nick walking towards her. "Oh, no such luck." She ribbed playfully, causing Nick to smile and hold her chin with his palm before bringing her face closer to his so he could kiss her forehead.

"Good mornin' Beautiful." Nick drawled and Riley beamed at him. His and the kid's company was enough to make her temporarily forget the problem with Emma, Porsche, and Greg. He sat on the bench across the deck from hers and Jayden eyed him skeptically, then looked at her Aunt who was smiling happily at him, then back to Nick who was grinning widely back at her. Jayden nodded and sat down on the bench to slide off and cross the deck and sit next to Nick.

Nick looked down at the little girl and gave her a lopsided grin. "Hello there Lil' Lady." He greeted and patted her head. She put her hands next to her thighs and proceeded to swing her legs back and forth and smile knowingly at him. "You _really_ like my Aunty Bryn..." Jayden pointed out and Nick looked up to see Riley with her index fingers in Jaelyn's fists as she helped balance the baby on Riley's thighs. Riley began to rub her nose against the baby's nose and tickle her neck, making the baby squirm and giggle.

Nick smiled and nodded, and then looked back down to Jayden. "Yep...yeah I do." He agreed.

"I knew it...I could tell by the way you looked at her and kissed her on 'da forehead...uh huh. I knew it."

Nick chuckled and nodded. "Yep, you are a very smart girl." Nick complimented.

"Yeah, that's what my Mama says...and my Daddy too. He's says I'm the most smartest and prettiest and funniest girl in 'da wholest world! Well, asept for Mama, She's Daddy's mostest favorite." Jayden babbled, as Nick merely smiled and nodded, as the child didn't really care if he listened or not. Nick found his eyes floating over in Riley's direction as she held Jaelyn on her hip and balanced Travis on the other hip as she gestured with her chin to the 'gilly-gators'. Jayden continued to ramble on about random things, then asking Nick if he agreed with her, to which he would always nod and make an agreeable comment.

Riley set the two kids down and Travis bolted for the backdoor, quickly followed by Jayden. Jaelyn fumbled along, not even off the deck yet. Riley and Nick watched Jaelyn shuffle along before Nick chuckled. "She's adorable."

"Oh yeah...she's a trip." Riley punned as the baby tripped herself with her own two feet. She grunted in dismay and pushed herself back up off the ground. "She's a klutz too."

"It must run in the family." Nick joked and Riley nudged his shoulder. "Does she know how to talk?"

"Yeah...she's just shy. She doesn't talk a lot."

Nick chuckled. "Unlike Jayden..."

Riley laughed. "Yeah, it's impossible to get that one to close that adorable little mouth of hers...she's cute though."

"As a bug's ear."

"And Travis is so patient and attentive towards Jaelyn."

Riley nodded. "He's got it drilled in his hand that its his job to protect his baby sister and keep her safe." Finally finished with watching her niece stumble through the wet grass with her chubby legs, Riley went over and picked her up and placed her back on her hip. She grunted in annoyance and squirmed from her Aunt's grip, then realized Nick's presence. She seemed to be inspecting him for a minute before reaching out for him.

Nick took the baby from Riley and held her as she inspected him further. She settled comfortably in his arms and turned to her Aunt with a cheeky grin. Riley pretended to be hurt.

"Ah! I'm mortally wounded!" Riley joked and Jaelyn giggled and hugged Nick. "And now my man has been stolen by a total babe!" Riley joked and Nick laughed and shook his head. Riley threw her hand over her heart and shook her heart. "I thought you'd never leave me." Riley said dramatically and Nick shrugged.

"Nah, I said we'd be together till someone new came along..." Nick joked and Riley laughed. Jaelyn looked between the adults, not understanding why they were laughing, but deciding to giggle along with them. This made Riley smirk and tickle the little baby's stomach, while pretending she was going to gobble up the baby's gut. The baby giggled and squirmed and clung to Nick's neck as if he was going to save her.

Hope and Paige watched from the kitchen window that over looked the backyard, as they sat at the table, sipping their coffee. "I'll give it a year before they're married." Paige said and Hope scoffed and shook her head.

"I think your hormones are going crazy daughter dearest, you know Bee-Bop's feelings on the matter of marriage."

"Quote 'A loss of an identity'." Tom quoted as he walked into the room, a tired baby Lyle in his arms.

"Exactly, no way is that man going to convince our stubborn little Bryn that marriage is a good thing..."_ I blame myself for her misconstrued idea of the subject._ Hope thought sadly, silently reminiscing on her almost failed marriage. She sighed and sipped her coffee again.

"Have they even told each other they love one another yet?" Paige asked and Hope shrugged.

"How do you know they're in love?" Tom asked and both women shot him a 'duh' look.

"It's only so obvious...do you see the way he looks at her? The entire car ride over she stared out the window and he stared at her. She's always within his eyeshot, and they always seem to know when the other one is going to look up from whatever they are doing so that they can flash each other a smile...I'll tell ya, it's almost sickening." Paige replied and Tom snorted.

"Nope, that'd be the morning sickness Sweets...and don't be so bitter, it's bad for the fetus."

Hope almost chocked on her coffee while laughing and shook her head as she saw Paige give Tom a dirty glare before turning her attention back to her sister. Hope chose not to mention that she saw Tom giving Paige the exact same looks and adoring glances without the woman knowing.

Hope smiled and put her palm under her chin and continued staring out the window at her baby girl, who, despite their best efforts, wasn't such a baby girl anymore.

_

* * *

Ahhh! Internets suck! My internet has been down for a week and I couldn't post my chapter! -Sigh- that makes me sad. But anyway, its back up, I'll have another chapter up soon._

_Leave me a review because _**spacecoastbabe15**_ just moved REALLY far away from me and left me and _**Maestoso**_ here all alone! Lol, (guilt trip for Schabu!) So leave me a review!!! (hey that rhymed...) _

_-Futuremisscsi60_


	40. Chapter 40

**IMPORTANT!!! MUST READ: **Alright, I know this is going to be confusing, but the rest of Riley's family is joining up in this chapter. Remember, this is just her mother's side; I'm not introducing her father's side in this book. Now some of this will be redundant, but it's just to help y'all sort things out...if you're OCD (like me) than copy and paste the whole 'family naming' section to s file in your computer or whatever and save it for later...

I'm not kidding...

You don't even know...

This gets so confusing...

It's so confusing, it's not confusing... (that makes no sense, I know) tee hee ;)

**

* * *

Chapter 40**

_(Wednesday August 20, 2006) _

The morning had been all around uneventful; it mostly consisted of the family laying around and doing nothing...no one wanted to address the fact that it was the day before the funeral. Riley began to worry when there was still no sign of Porsche, no one had heard from her, but as far as Kiersten knew, she had boarded her flight that morning.

Nick found Riley sitting out on the deck, her leg propped up on the bench with her arm resting on her knee with the other leg dangling over the edge of the bench, with her other hand up by her mouth in the 'Riley-thinking-face' position. Sign number one that something important was on her mind. Nick smiled and neared her, resting a hand on her shoulder to lean down to kiss her forehead. She turned her head abruptly towards him, dropping the gold cross from her fist as she did so. Sign number two that her mind was working overtime. She always got jumpy, and dazed out when she was in deep thought, and, along with her thinking face, she'd bring her little golden cross to her mouth and hold it there absently as she thought, humming a random church hymn as her mind wandered.

Riley gave him a forced smile and Nick sat behind her on the bench and acted as her resting pillow as she leaned back against him and settled comfortably against him. He kissed the top of her head and set his chin there as he was silent for a few moments. "What's on your mind Darlin?" He asked softly and Riley sighed.

"Nothin really. Just thinkin about random things." Riley lied and Nick sighed and took her bicep in his hands and began stroking the smooth flesh with his thumb.

"What was up with that obscene, loud wake up call this morning?" Nick asked after a few minutes and Riley turned to him slightly surprised. That 'towel-under-the-door' trick had always worked when she was younger, but then of course Nick was trained to hear a pin drop in an airport.

"You heard that...?" Nick nodded. "Just...nothin. Relationship problems." Riley replied vaguely and Nick's eyes widened and he looked at her worriedly. She looked back at him and chuckled. "Not ours. We're good baby." She replied and patted his cheek reassuringly.

"You sure?" He asked and she smiled and nodded.

"Yes. Don't worry...have I ever _not_ voiced my opinion or feelings?"

"Nope." Nick replied automatically.

"So don't worry. If something was wrong you'd know it."

"So whose relationship are you trying to save?"

"Ah just...no one's...its not important."

"Are you sure it's not us?" Nick asked and Riley turned to face him. Her bright blue eyes clashed with his deep brown ones. She grabbed his face gently in her hands and kissed him passionately to prove her point. When they broke apart for air Riley gave him a promising smile.

"We. Are. Fine. I promise baby..." She assured him and squeezed his hands before kissing him once more and turning back to sit in her original position of leaning against him.

Nick waited a few moments before he spoke again. "So you're not gonna tell me who it is?"

She sighed softly and shook her head. "I can't it's...complicated."_ You know, just the usual, one of my best friends cheated on one of your best friends with my cousin...no big deal._ Riley thought sarcastically.

"Can you give me a hint?"

Riley chuckled. "You do_ not_ give up do you?"

"No...how do you think I finally got you?"

"Well, ya know, technically," She turned to face him and sat up on her knees, in between his one bent leg which scaled the rail of the deck, while the other dangled over. "I got _you_."

Nick scoffed. "You did not."

"Did too! When we first met I sat down at the bar-"

"And I asked where you were from-"

"Then_ I_ asked _you _to dance. But you said 'no'...so I finally convinced you to dance, then you looked whiter than can be-"

Nick gasped in offense. "I did not! I am a very **good** dancer."

"I didn't say you weren't a good dancer...I said you looked white."

Nick scoffed. "This coming from the palest girl I've ever met."

She gaped at him in slight offense, then closed her mouth and looked down at her jean-covered knees while a self-conscious smile played on her lips. "I thought you liked my pale skin..."

"Baby..." He grabbed her arm gently and kissed the back of her hand. "I love your skin." Her replied in a deep voice and sealed his confession by kissing her wrist. "Every," He placed a tender kiss on her lower forearm. "Single," He placed another kiss on her arm, this time on the inside of her elbow. "Inch of it." He continued kissing his way up her arm to prove it point, inhaling the scent of her skin as she went, letting his fingers slowly brush over the smooth flesh as he did so. He ran his hands up and down her arms, tickling the exposed silky skin with his lips as he did so. "And if we weren't at your parent's house, I'd be showing you just how much I love this skin...right...now." He professed and scooted her closer to his body so he could kiss her shoulder, then her clavicle, then the dip in her neck, across her other shoulder and back down her arm, sealing the back of her other hand with a kiss.

A sly smile fell upon her face and she chuckled in a low, seductive voice. "Feeling a little frisky are we Mr. Stokes?" She wrapped her arms loosely around his neck and intertwined her fingers behind his neck, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck with her thumbs. He ran his hand down her side and squeezed her hip lightly while looking her up and down. The sun was behind her, casting its glow through her hair making it look metallic orange with a golden halo of sorts around it. The freckles on her skin were standing out more with all the sun she'd been absorbing in the passed two days, no longer working the nightshift for the time being. The bright baby blue color of her eyes appeared to gain a certain sparkle when she looked at him and her grin seemed to grow a little wider whenever she saw him.

Nick looked down her exquisite form once more and sucked in a breath. As he ran the hand that wasn't on her hip up and down one of the arms looped around his neck. "You have no idea." She grinned and shook her head as she leaned in to kiss him gently. Nick groaned as the kiss deepened and reluctantly pushed her away. Riley winced and gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry..." She giggled and blushed when she felt him hardening against her thigh.

"Well, I guess I'll be relaxing out here for a while..."

Just get an anit-boner thought...like your parents having sex."

"Ah! Riley!" Nick screamed in horror and covered his ears and squeezed his eyes shut. "Holy crap woman, what is your problem?!"

Riley clutched her stomach as she laughed and shook her head. "Hey, it worked!" She grinned triumphantly.

"Oh my God I'm** never** having sex again..." Nick professed and looked out on the lake, a haunted and scarred look on his handsome features. Riley cupped his cheek with her hand and bit her lip apologetically, but she couldn't help but smile at the unexpected, yet amusing, effect her statement had on him. "That's just not right..."

"Oh Nick...I'm sorry." She apologized again and Nick shivered playfully and pretended to gag. She giggled and pursed her lips. "You really had me worried there...I thought I really had scarred you..."

"Oh no, no, no...don't worry, you did..." Nick assured her. She laughed and climbed out from between his legs and pulled him up by his hands, then laced fingers with him. She gave him a soft smile and shook the hair from her face that had blown there from the breeze.

"Well...I think I'll still keep you around." She said softly and Nick smiled.

"You _like_ me."

She pursed her lips and shrugged. "What can I say? You've grown on me." This caused Nick to laugh and pull her into a loving embrace. He looped his arms around her shoulders and gripped her back loosely. She hooked her arms underneath his own so that they were perpendicular to his, and clutched his shoulders as he buried his face in her hair. After a few moments Nick reluctantly pulled away and looked at her. She smiled happily at him and shifted her footing while ducking her head, then shifting her eyes to look up at him, embarrassed at the way he was looking at her. "What?" She questioned and waited for his answer.

He shrugged and smiled and she brought her face back up. Nick picked a piece of red hair away from her face where the wind had once again blown it, and she smiled at him. Suddenly Nick started to laugh and Riley chuckled softly.

"What?"

"Is it just me or is this a Kodak moment?" Nick asked and as if on cue, a bright light flashed and the clicking sound of a camera broke through the serene nature the couple was surrounded by. Riley groaned and shook her head while blushing.

"Nick, did I forget to mention that my family is in love with cameras?"

Nick grinned at her and laughed as she looked over slowly to whoever had snapped the picture. "Aunt Faye...how did I know it was you?"

"Cause you're psychic Sugar." The older, tourist looking woman drawled. She had dark blonde hair with gray streaks, bright white teeth, and an unmistakable Florida tan. She was wearing a tie-dye shirt with pictures of sea shells and 'FLORIDA' written on it. She wore spandex aerobics shorts, jeweled sandals and a white fanny pack. "Cheese!" She replied and snapped a quick picture before Riley could further object. Riley squealed and buried her face in the crook of Nick's neck. Nick laughed and wrapped his arms back around her like before.

"No more pictures!" Riley replied and Faye groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Bryn, c'mon Doll. I don't have nearly enough pictures of you."

"No!" Riley replied and Faye rolled her eyes again. Nick laughed and quickly took Riley's shoulders and spun her away from his chest and held her still so her Aunt could snap another picture. Riley growled in mock-anger and when Nick released her he ran for dear life. Riley took off after him, and quickly gained speed on him, only lagging a few yards behind.

Faye laughed triumphantly and wandered back to the porch where the rest of the family, including those who had just arrived, stood and watched the couple chasing each other like they had the night before. "Get your cowardly ass back here Nicholas Garret Stokes!" Riley demanded.

"Garret?" All of Riley's brothers and male cousins (that's too many men to name) asked before they all doubled over laughing and slapped their knees.

"Hey! No middle names Bryn Riley Ann Turner!" Nick replied and Riley laughed and pumped her legs faster to gain on him. She reached out and grabbed his shirt and yanked on it, sending them both to the ground. Riley quickly flipped Nick over and pinned him down by his wrists.

"Ha! I win." Riley replied triumphantly. Nick smiled and shook his head.

"I think you ripped my shirt."

"Oh did I?" Riley asked concerned and looked at the rip from his shoulder extending down his shirt.

"Yeah."

"Oh I'm sorry." She apologized and gave him the crooked smile that could always get her out of anything. Nick grinned back at her and chuckled as the fabric of her polyester and rayon green and blue floral shirt blew into his face. "If it makes you feel any better, I think I got more grass stains on my jeans." She replied and Nick laughed.

"Darlin, those things are older, more faded, and have more holes than any other jeans on the face of this Earth...ya know what, pitch those and I'll take you shopping for new ones."

"_No_!" She whined and released his wrists as she sat back and put her hands on her thighs. "I love these things! Don't make me throw 'em away." She pouted and Nick chuckled.

"It's the jeans or me." Nick joked and she sighed sadly and looked down to the jeans covering her legs.

"Bye jeans." She said in an unhappy little kid's voice and Nick laughed and pulled her back down to him so he could hug her and kiss her temple.

"You can keep the jeans." Nick joked and she laughed and pulled away but pinned his wrists back down, making him laugh.

"Promise?" She asked, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Promise." Nick swore just as another picture was snapped. Both of them turned to see her Aunt Libby standing smiling, a camera in hand.

"Kodak moment." She replied and Riley sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I would like a copy of that Ma'am." Nick requested and Libby laughed. "We've known each other for 10 months and I still don't have a picture of her..."

"What about that one picture of us by the 'Eiffel Tower'?" Riley asked and Nick shook his head.

"Wheaty ate it."

"Who's Wheaty?" Libby asked.

"My bird." Nick answered and turned back to look at Riley, who was still perched on top of him, not that anyone really seemed to notice or care. "I miss him."

Riley laughed and brought her hand to his cheek and nodded. "I know, and I miss Yoda. But don't worry, they're in good hands."

"Yoda is your dog, right Riley?" Her mother clarified and Riley nodded.

"Yep. Speaking of dogs, where are the little rascals?"

"Boarding School." Her mother replied and Russell rolled his eyes.

"You mean doggy boot camp."

It was Hope's turn to roll her eyes, and then wander back into the house to start cooking for the lunch feast. It seemed that anytime the entire family wasn't roughing each other up, making fun of each other, or doing some random event, they were eating...

"Aw, I was hopin Nick could meet the little babies." Riley drawled and crawled off Nick and reached out her hand to help him to his feet. The two of them stood and then brushed the grass and dirt off of their clothes, and Riley smirked when she saw Nick's shirt. "Oops...I'll buy you a new one."

"Eh, it's fine." Nick replied and waved the comment away as he pecked her cheek to reassure her.

"I'll grab you a new one then."

"Don't even bother Bee-bop, we're getting ready to start a game of tackle football and figured mister 'All Star' here would wanna play with us." Her cousin John (eldest twin to Michael) replied.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Hope objected. "Don't even go there. No one's playing anything until Nick meets the rest of the family."

Nick gulped. "'The rest'?"

"Yeah, I don't want him all broken and bruised when he meets 'em." Riley replied while nodding.

"Uh...how many more are there?" Nick asked and Riley scoffed.

"Saddle up baby. You're meetin the entire clan..."

"Oh no." Nick chuckled and Riley led him into the house along with the family Nick already knew. The loud commotion and voices Nick had been hearing earlier was now explained when Nick saw the large groups of family scattered throughout the large house. "_Holy_..."

"Alright, Mama...will you do the honors...? Cause I'm kinda confused myself." Riley replied and Hope laughed.

"Alright, first here we have my Dad, John Smith, and no, I'm not kidding about his name. Everyone calls him Pa-Paw Snoops though, and my mother Margaret Smith, aka, Mee-maw Cocoa. My oldest sister is Libby Dianete, and her husband is Artie Dianete. Their eldest is Missy and her two children are Rebecca and Jacob. John and Michael are Riley's twin cousins, also the sons of Libby and Artie, Michael's wife is Tina and their children are Kylee and their twin sons Ian and Harley. You already know Terri and her son Dennis-"

"Moosey!" Riley interrupted and Dennis rolled his eyes without even bothering to punch Riley.

"Yes, we call him Moosey, and his girlfriend Brandy. Her little girl is Brittany, affectionately names Brit-Brat," Hope said as the little three year old girl smiled and waved at Nick. She was the spitting image of her mother, with long blonde hair with the biggest brown eyes and button nose. "And Dennis' two sons Dennis Jr. Jr., otherwise known as DJ, and Neil." The boys were bi-racial, and obviously the sons of another woman, Dennis' first wife Rose. But the boys looked practically identical, save the fact that the youngest, Neil, was a bit chunkier than Dennis.

"Are they twins?" Nick asked and Brandy smiled and ruffled her 'sons' hair.

"Nah, they're two years apart, five and seven...they just look alike." She replied and Nick nodded. "And I'm five months pregnant with a little girl."

"Bella Anne Curtis...go me!" Dennis said proudly and puffed out his chest. Brandy rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the smile on her face.

"It takes two to tango buddy."

"Congratulations." Nick smiled and Dennis and Brandy smiled back.

"You can get preggers by doin the Tango?!" Neil asked in shock causing everyone to laugh.

"Anyway, this is my third oldest sister Debbie, and her husband Frank, you met him last night." Hope replied and Nick nodded. "And their oldest girl Tabbitha and her husband Brian, and their kids, Ariel, James, and Samuel. She's also five months along with their little boy, Jackson Michael Klies."

"Congrats." Nick complimented again and they nodded their thanks.

"Then Debbie and Frank's boy Will is next, along with his wife Betsy, and their kids Karen Sophia, and Trenton, and Betsy is four months along with their girl Angelina Marie Baker. Next is my fourth oldest sister, otherwise known as the Kodak-Addict, Faye Clemens and her husband Jon. Now, that's Jon without the 'H', and my father and Libby and Artie's boy have the 'H'." Hope explained and Nick nodded. "Their oldest is Nikki, with her two kids Evan and Jenny. Faye and Jon's second child is Jessie, and her boyfriend is Niles and their child is Cindy. My fifth oldest sister is Joy McTide-"

"Porsche's mother." Riley whispered and Nick nodded.

"And her husband Doc, with their oldest boy Noah, and his wife Amy. Amy's son is Brady, but she's six months along with their first kid...um...what name did y'all decide on?" Hope asked the couple and Amy smiled.

"Sarah Elyse McTide." She answered and Noah grinned and put his hands on his wife's shoulder proudly.

"Right, then Noah's little brother Josh...where's Porsche? I think you already know her, right Nick?" Hope asked and Nick nodded.

"Porsche went out on a beer run and to go pick up more paper plates and napkins." Josh informed them while clinking his lip ring against his teeth.

"Someone call her and let her know we need more ice as well." Hope ordered and Josh pulled out his cell phone to call his little sister. "Where were we? Oh, right, then my kids. You already know my oldest boy Russell and his wife Candice, and her two girls are Bailey and Camryn. Then their little girl is Parker, and Candice is about six months along with their first little boy, Nicholas Bradley Turner. then my second oldest boy, Ryan, and his wife Amber...where are your kids?"

"Out in the front scamming neighbors into giving them money for the ice-cream truck." Amber replied and Ryan smiled proudly.

"That's my kids."

Hope scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Lord help me..." She drawled. "Anyway, their kids are Jordan-Logan, Patricia, Kaydence, and Nicholas, and then Amber is about seven months along with Alison Corrine Turner."

"My family has nothing better to do than screw endlessly." Riley whispered and Nick chuckled.

"Next is Logan and his fiancé Victoria, and their kids Aviana, and Drew-Anne." Hope continued. "And they are also four moths along with their first boy, Nicholas Timothy Turner."

"I just realized we have way too many people with the name 'Nick' in this family..." Riley pointed out and they all laughed. "I think y'all should reconsider that baby name."

"No! I love that name! Make Nick change his name, he's the newest to the family." Victoria defended jokingly, and Nick and Riley blushed beat red and shifted uncomfortably at the insinuation of Nick being 'part of the family'.

Hope looked between the two for a moment before breaking the silence. "...Alrighty then...next is Paige and Tom...but I'm pretty sure you know them all..."

Nick nodded.

"We settled on a baby name." Paige announced. "Since it's a girl...we're naming her Bryn Dawn Oakley." She replied and Riley and Hope both smiled because she had used Hope's middle name and Riley's first name.

"Aww...Paigey-Kins..." Riley replied and smiled at her sister. "I'm honored."

Hope sniffled and smiled while fanning herself. "Oh..." She sniffled again and wiped her eyes. "This is just so..."

Riley laughed and rolled her eyes. "Don't mind Mama Nick, she's crazy menopausal." Riley replied, earning a slap upside the back of her head from her mother. "You see my point."

Nick laughed and shook his head.

"Alright..." Hope sniffled again. "On we go...Next is Ricky and Cynthia and their baby girl, Jenna."

"Actually...we have news..." Cynthia began. "We're two months pregnant with a suspected little girl..." Everyone awed and congratulated them and Riley laughed.

"But what else is new?" Riley joked and everyone laughed. "I mean seriously, someone announcing they're pregnant is like saying 'Hey, I breathed today...'." Everyone laughed again.

"Which brings us to our last pregnant couple...Ronny and Julia. Julia is five months along with William Jack Turner." Hope finished and Nick nodded slowly and looked around the room.

"...Have you come to a decision on that whole name-tag thing?" Nick joked and everyone laughed and Riley kissed his cheek and squeezed his hand.

"Don't worry...just two more days and you'll be free of these crazies." Riley pointed out and Nick laughed.

Paige looked around at her sisters-in-law and smiled as she turned back to Riley. "Hey Bryn...do you realize if y'all were one moth pregnant, we'd have an entire line of pregnant women, from 8 months to 1 month...?" Paige asked and Riley chocked on the bottle of water she was sipping. Nick and she blushed profusely as Nick patted her back and tried to ignore the insinuation.

Hope looked around the room and cleared her throat at the growing tension enveloping at the accused statement...the fact that Riley's father had just entered the room didn't help things either. "Wasn't there a football game to be played?" She asked and Larry caught her hint.

He cleared his throat and nodded. "Alright Gang, let's go play some football!"

* * *

"Blue forty two, blue forty two...hut! Hut! Hut!!" Ricky exclaimed and quickly passed the ball to Riley, who cradled it close to her and ran as fast as she could down the "field". Tom began gaining on her, but Ryan tackled him down, keeping Riley's tail semi-cleared. John and Michael were tag-teaming her by gaining on her from either sides. Riley tried to ignore them and ran faster, praying that someone would get them off her back. Surely enough, Larry came up quickly and took them both out with one shot (something not hard for a man his size).

Riley squealed and tried to run faster, but was finding it hard to do so. Dennis was gaining on her...and fast! In the blink of an eye he had her around the waist, and pulled her to the ground, hard enough for the group of woman and Riley's father and grandfather to hear the smack when she hit the ground. Everyone ooohed, before rushing over when Dennis climbed off of her lower portion of her body, and seeing that she wasn't moving. Nick, Keith, and Hope all knelt down around Riley as Nick put a soft hand on her back and let out a sigh of relief when he felt his hand rise and fall with her back. "She's breathing." He stated.

"Roll her over gently." Hope instructed calmly, having dealt with this before, but never use to the feeling of worry, she knew how to keep her cool. Keith gently rolled his baby girl onto her back and brushed the hair off of her forehead.

"Hey...Bryn...wake up Bee-bop." Keith instructed softly. Riley's face scrunched up and she groaned and rolled her head to the side.

"Ow..." She moaned softly and Nick took her smaller hand in his.

"Open your eyes Sweetheart..." Nick instructed. Keith looked up at Nick and sent a glare his way, feeling as though his turf was being invaded by some hot-blooded, unreasonable horn-dog, unworthy of his baby girl...

Riley slowly opened her eyes. "Ugh..." She moaned and let out a soft chuckle. "Mama..."

"Yes Baby Girl?"

"Do me a favor..."

"Yes..."

"Get me a beer." She asked and Hope threw her hands in the air and rolled her eyes.

"Figures that would be the request."

In no time at all Dennis handed Riley her beer. "Sorry Bryn..."

"Eh, don't sweat it Dennis, I've had worse falls than this." Riley shrugged and Keith sighed and pulled his lighter out of his pocket.

"Hold still Bryn." He instructed and brought the lighter to her eye to make sure her pupils dilated appropriately.

"Am I good to play?" She asked and Keith nodded.

"You'll be fine. Just take it easy." He said ruffling her hair.

She smirked and rolled her eyes. "I think you should sit this one out Bryn." Hope said.

"I agree." Nick added and Riley huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Of course you would, if you had your way you'd have me permanently wrapped in bubble paper and kept in a 'Fragile' box." Riley joked and Nick sighed and shot her a look.

"Please, just sit this next one out." Nick pleaded and Riley shook her head and stood up.

"No. I'm fine." Riley said stubbornly and stood up with a little help from her father.

"Riley-"

"No." Riley said firmly and Nick growled frustrated.

"You are so damn stubborn." Nick growled and shook his head. Riley just narrowed her gaze and shot a glare his way while shaking her head.

"Look whose talking." She grumbled and stomped back over to line up on the field. The woman began lining back up on the porch and the teams filed back to their starting lines.

The game continued to go on, Riley's team jumping to the lead because Nick refused to tackle her or even run past her too quickly. Halfway through the second half of the game Riley stomped over to him after he let her pass him. She shot him a glare before turning sharply and going to sit on the sidelines. Nick raised a brow. "Where are you going?" He called and she shrugged.

"To the sidelines considering I'm more likely to get tackled over here than if I was actually in the game." Riley snipped and Nick scoffed and shook his head.

"Quit it Riley..."

"I am." She said and plopped down in the chair next to Paige, and reached over to grab a beer from the cooler. Nick shot her a look and the two set off in one of their practically daily 'stare-downs'. The family sat off to the sidelines around them and shifted uncomfortably.

"So um...third down?" Brian asked and Logan nodded.

"Yeah..."

"Is Nick still in the game?" Noah asked uncertainly and Niles raised his brow and shrugged.

"Let's play around the ol' Chap." He suggested, his warm British accent standing out like a sore thumb around all of the obvious Texans, Floridians, and New Yorkers.

Russell smirked at the sound of the accent and laughed. "Dude, your voice is the best."

Niles raised a brow. "Come again dear Fellow." Niles requested, earning another laugh from Russell and Candice to roll her eyes.

"Alright Ladies, I say we go shopping and leave the boys to their games..." She suggested and all the women agreed. Riley sighed and looked over at Nick, who was still miffed about her not playing the game just because he refused to give her his best efforts. She sighed again and looked back to the girls. "You comin Bryn?" Candice asked and Riley shook her head.

"Nah, I'm gonna stay here and chill for a while."

Candice's eyes flickered to Nick, but she nodded and filed back into the house with the other women.

* * *

_Whew! Sorry that chapter took so long. I'd just like to say that writer's block is a bitch! So, review and let me know what y'all think...there aren't many chapters left of this book, and I wanna get a hundred reviews on this..._

_I know it's unlikely, but, -crosses fingers- here's hoping. _

_-Futuremisscsi60_


	41. Chapter 41

_I don't own any Rascal Flatts songs, nor do I represent them. I also don't own Nick...BUT EVERYTHING ELSE IS MINE!!!!!!! Tee Hee...I love saying that. _

**

* * *

Chapter 41 **

_(Turner Residence—4:16 p.m.) _

The boys were just now coming in after having finished their game of football, Ryan's team having been the triumphant one. They had played a good game, and Russell's team put up one hell of a fight, but in the end, it just wasn't enough to take out Larry's 'refrigerator techniques'. The men all filed into the house, several of them saying their goodbyes to go back to their homes or hotels to shower and change their clothes. Russell, Ryan, Logan, Tom, and Nick all went to the kitchen to grab a few bottles of water to hydrate themselves and laugh at whatever obscene joke Logan was telling.

"So the fat guy at the bar yells, 'Hey! That was what yo mama said last night!'" Logan informed them animatedly, making them double over in laughter. Nick put his hand on his knee to support himself. He shook his head as he slowly came back to an upright position and gripped his bruised side.

"Alright, enough with the 'yo mama' jokes, ya'll 'er makin my bruises hurt." Nick drawled and Russell smiled and shook his head.

"Oh yeah lil' bro, you got Daddy's sense of humor." Russell informed Logan while giving him a nuggie, (the typical man's way of showing another man affection in a manly manner). This consisted of putting the person in a head lock while rubbing your knuckles profusely against the person's skull until thy cried for mercy or twisted out of your grip.

"Hey, speaking of Dad's sense of humor...Bryn..." Ryan said matter of factly. Everyone leaned over onto one leg to look around the wall of the kitchen that led to the dinning room, then around that to the spacious living room.

"...Are the two of you okay?" Tom asked curiously and Nick furred his brows.

"Whadya mean?"

"That little scene out there earlier..." Logan filled him in.

"Yeah, what about it?" Nick asked confused.

"What was that? Is that normal for the two of y'all?"

"Oh yeah...those were one of the more civil bickers. We get into those daily, if not more than that..." Nick informed them and they nodded while chugging back their waters. "It's nothin." Nick assured them and Russell gave a familiar crooked smile and chuckled.

"Shoulda known...Bryn's one to drive a man up the wall and back down again..."

"I heard that." Logan agreed and clinked the bottom of his water bottle against Russell's. Nick merely smirked and began to drink his water, knowing full well what they were talking about.

"So y'all bicker a lot?" Tom asked, getting into his marriage consular role, and Nick nodded.

"Yeah...she sure knows how to bring the spit-fire outta a man I'll tell ya that." Nick drawled and they all laughed in agreement.

"Do you think that's normal?" Tom asked and Nick thought about it and shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips.

"What's normal?"

Tom shrugged. "I guess it's whatever you define as healthy..."

"Normality is defined by your own terms." Nick summed and Tom nodded. "Then yeah, I think it's healthy...and normal...for us anyway. Compared to you and Paige...probably not."

The shuffling of feet drew the men's attention and they turned to see Riley rubbing her eyes and squinting at the light. She yawned and walked in Nick's direction. "Hey BRAT, have a nice nap?" Logan teased and she flipped him the bird (she's not much of a morning person) and walked up to Nick. She looked at him before she stepped closer to him and hooked her arms around his neck. He set his water bottle down on the counter and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, causing his sweaty shirt to press against his body, as well as hers.

"I'm all sweaty." He whispered matter-of-factly in her ear and she shrugged and nestled her head into the crook of his neck and closed her eyes. "Hey...you okay?" Nick asked and she nodded.

"I'm just sleepy." She whispered back and Nick smiled.

"So go back to sleep."

"Come take a nap with me." She asked as she pulled away to look at him.

"Eh..." Nick said and looked toward the stairs nervously.

"What?" She asked and furred her brows.

"I'm not sure that your father would appreciate that."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "It's sleeping, and it's the middle of the afternoon...we wouldn't be having sex at this time of day." Nick shot her a look. "Not that _he_ knows of..." Nick chuckled and shook his head. "Besides, there's a game on...Armageddon could come and go before that man would leave his chair."

Nick smiled and nodded. "Alright." He said after a minute. She took his hand and led him up the stairs, their absence going unnoticed by her brothers.

* * *

Less than half of the women that left on the shopping trip poured themselves through the door two hours later, tons of shopping bags on each of their arms. They were all laughing at whatever joke had been told as they all laid their bags on the floor, table, and couch in the living room. They hung their coats in the large closet or on the coat rack by the door, before venturing through the house.

"Where is everyone?" Hope asked and Logan sighed.

"They all went home a while ago..."

"Where's your father?"

"In his den."

"Larry?"

"With Dad." Ryan informed her.

"Grandpa?"

"He and Grandma are out on the deck in the back." Russell supplied.

"Bryn?"

"Asleep in her room." Tom answered.

"Nick?"

"Asleep with her..." Rickey informed her and Hope's eyes widened slightly.

"Please tell me your father is watchin a game." She begged, knowing that was the only thing that could keep him from checking up on Riley.

"He is." Ronny assured her and Hope took off towards Riley's room, praying she didn't find the two in a compromising position. She got to the end of the hall and knocked on the door and held her breath when there was no answer.

"Bryn, are you in here?" She asked and opened the door and poked her head in. She sighed in relief and fully opened the door when she saw Riley curled up on top of her sheets, still fully dressed, with Nick's arms wrapped protectively around her, him fully dressed as well. She was curled up into his side with her throw blanket draped over both of their arms to keep them warm. Nick's arm was draped around her waist and tucked underneath her to keep her from moving (because she tended to move in her sleep), while the other one was under her arms and curled over and around her shoulders. His chin was resting on top of her head, and both of them had serene looks on their faces.

Paige, Candice, Amber, and Cassandra had filed in behind Hope and were 'aww'-ing at the sleeping couple and snapping pictures. Riley moaned and shifted in her sleep, pulling Nick with her.

"Mmmm...Penguins...test tubes..." Nick mumbled and the girls snickered and whipped out their camera phones to video record the display in front of them.

"Okay...you do realize Bryn is gonna kill y'all when she wakes up, right?" Hope whispered in a soft twang. The women ignored her as they continued filming the couple. Riley sighed softly and snuggled in closer to Nick's chest and he subconsciously squeezed her tighter, causing all the women to 'awww' softly. Hope smiled and held up her hands. "Alright, let's give them some privacy..." She whispered and ushered the pregnant women out of the room.

A few minutes later Nick opened his eyes and looked around Riley's old room. The sun was beginning to set in the distance, pouring itself through the sheer white curtains with soft purple curtains rolled out of the way, casting an orangish-yellow glow throughout the room. Nick shifted slightly and picked his head up off the pillows to look at the reposed face of his sleeping girlfriend and felt a smile overcome his lips. He planted a soft kiss into her hair and sighed softly. "...I love you Bryn Riley Ann Turner...I love you." He said softly and relaxed his head back against the pillows.

A few moments later Nick quietly slipped from underneath her and knelt down next to the bed. He took a pillow and moved it back to the spot where he had been. She hugged it for a moment, but felt the difference of texture and scent, and pushed it away. Nick smiled; in a weird way it felt kind of good to know that, even in her sleep, his girl wouldn't settle for anything less than him. He stroked her hair tenderly and planted a soft kiss to her lips before standing up and draping the blanket over her and exiting the room quietly.

* * *

The smell of juicy steaks, fried potatoes, and Mama's home-made gravy made Riley's mouth salivate. She licked her lips and opened her eyes to her empty room. She looked around for Nick and figured he was probably down stairs with the rest of her family. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and swung her feet over the side of her bed while rubbing her eyes and yawning. She slowly stood and plodded towards the door of her room and opened it to reveal the empty hallway.

The scent of the food was twice as strong in the hallway, and Riley licked her lips again and smiled. She could smell the baked apples and cinnamon floating from the kitchen, and had an idea that her Mama's famous Apple Cobbler was awaiting her downstairs. She grinned like a Cheshire cat and followed the dancing scents of good ole' down home cookin' (_hopefeully y'all that ain't Southern know what that means_...).

The sounds of voices and laughter grew louder in her ears, and she could distinctly hear the men laughing at what sounded like an Adam Sandler comedy. Riley grinned and shook her head as she reached the ground floor and walked through the hallway into the living room. The men all laughed in unison and slapped their knees or clapped their hands as they laughed at the crude joke Adam Sandler made. They didn't seem to notice her as she walked passed them and into the dining room where she heard the women laughing and gossiping about the latest 'word' out at the market.

Riley poked her head in and slipped through, unnoticed (the joy of having a large family), and went straight for the apple cobbler with the mound of whipped cream on top that was sitting ungaurded in the kitchen. A devious smile formed on her face as she reached a finger out to dip into the cake when a deep Southern drawl sounded behind her. "Drop that whipped cream, and back away from the cobbler..."

Riley whipped around to come face to face with none other than Nick Stokes. She smiled innocently and held up the finger with whipped cream on it. "Who me...?"

Nick's entire persona screamed mock-authority and Riley grinned at him while he kept a straight face. "Yes you..."

"Couldn't be." She said in a child-like voice and shook her head.

"Now scoot!" Nick rhymed and Riley giggled.

"I won't tell if you don't." She said in a deep, seductive voice as she slowly brought her finger closer to her lips.

"Oh no, no, no. I was given strict instructions to keep you away from that there Apple Cobbler." Nick drawled and Riley shrugged as she grinned mischievously and brought her finger closer to her mouth. "Riley..." Nick warned and Riley gave a wily grin and brought her finger closer to her lips. "I'm warning you..." Nick said and Riley smiled and brought her finger towards her opened mouth, 'testing her boundaries'.

She quickly stuck her finger in her mouth and licked the whipped cream off of it and went back for more when Nick caught her arm. She giggled and tried to get back to the Cobbler but Nick laughed and pinned her hands to the counter.

"Ms. Riley Turner, you leave that Cobbler alone."

"You know you want it too..." She replied and Nick shook his head while laughing.

"Yes, but _I_ have patience."

"Well_ I_ don't."

"I can tell." Nick joked and Riley shot him a playful angry look. "Nah...I'm only serious." Nick said as if he was going to take the comment back. Riley pursed her lips to hide her smile and tried to wiggle out of his grasp. By mere luck she did, and dove for the cobbler again. Nick grabbed her by the waist and picked her up and placed her across the kitchen, away from the cobbler. But she was too slick for him, and scurried back towards the Apple desert. Just as Riley was about to steal a piece a different drawl came from the door.

"Bryn Riley Ann Turner!" Her mother gasped as she saw her baby girl about ready to scarf down the cobbler. "Set that dessert down and move away now!" She demanded and Riley pouted and walked over to stand on the other side of Nick. "Nicholas Stokes, I thought I told you to keep her away?" Her mother accused softly and Nick gaped at her.

"I did! Well I was trying to, but she-"

"Yeah Nick, why didn't you tell me I wasn't supposed to eat the Cobbler?" Riley asked playfully and Nick gawked at her.

"I did!"

"It seems you didn't try hard enough..." Riley said in a motherly voice and Nick dove for her, causing her to squeal and try and dodge him. But he stretched out his arms and grabbed her. He chuckled as he threw her over his shoulder and slapped the back of her thigh and carried her into the living room. The men all looked up and raised their brows at this.

"Hey guys, Riley said she wants y'all to tickle her 'till she begs for mercy..." Nick fibbed and Riley gasped.

"What!?" She yelped as Nick tossed her to the men on the couch, who laughed and all began tickling her with no clemency. Nick stood back and laughed as she turned red in the face and shouted off threats to him. Two little girls came up to stand next to Nick, giggling as they whispered things to each other, then turned to look at him and giggle more and blush. Nick heard something beside him and he turned and looked down to see the girls. He smiled wide at them and knelt down.

"Hello lil' ladies..." He greeted and the fell into a fit of blushes and giggles. Nick raised a brow and smiled at them, not quite sure what was so funny. Riley heard the noise and looked up from her own fit of laughter to see her nieces blushing next to her Nick (_is it just me, or does anyone else like the sound of that...'her Nick'_). She grinned herself and quickly escaped from the torment of the tickle-fest upon her and went to stand next to Nick. She looked over at Kaydence and Patty (Amber and Ryan's oldest girls) and smiled.

"Hey girls..." She greeted and they quickly scurried off. Nick furred his brows and looked over at Riley. "I think my nieces have a crush on you..." She pointed to them in the corner, discussing something intently, then looking back at Nick and giggling again. "...But then of course, who can blame them?" Riley asked and Nick blushed and grinned.

"Um...thanks." Nick said awkwardly and she laughed and gave him a peck on the cheek. She smiled and nodded towards the sliding door that led to the back yard.

"You wanna go out on the deck for me. I'll be out there in a minute; I just gotta get somethin..." She drawled and Nick raised a brow but nodded and walked to the back door and closed it behind him. Riley quickly ran up the stairs and went into her room and her bag to retrieve the object she needed. She went to her window and stole a quick glance at Nick sitting on the bench, watching the wind roll off the water of the river.

_Damn that man is gorgeous..._

She thought to herself and felt her chest swell with emotion as she stood there a minute and watched him watch the larger birds swoop into the water, the fish jump out at random times, and the tiny birds perch themselves in the trees across the river. A gust of wind blew his hair into his eyes, and he pushed it out of his way with his hand. She closed her eyes and felt a grin spread across her face at the memory of the last time she had experienced those hands along her body...it had been not even a week before, but that was far too long in her mind. She subconsciously licked her lips and smiled wider.

She shook the random thought from her head and went back down the stairs and out the back door, the object hidden behind her back. She quietly tip toed up behind him and brought her mouth down next to his ear and whispered, "Hey you."

Nick jumped slightly and looked over at her accusingly. She smirked as Nick smiled and grabbed her to bring her to sit on the bench in front of him. She tucked one leg underneath her and let the other one dangle over the edge of the bench while she kept her back to the river and the object behind her back. "Hey yourself..." He answered.

"I have something for you..."

"Oh yeah?" Nick asked excitedly and she smiled and nodded. She handed him a present that appeared to have been wrapped by a four year old.

"Happy very belated and multiply interrupted birthday Baby." She said and Nick smiled and looked at the gift.

"Awww...baby...that's so sweet...did you have the kids wrap this?" Nick asked and Riley gaped at him and blushed embarrassedly.

"No..." She said softly and Nick's eyes widened and he suppressed a chuckle.

"Oh...well I love it."

"It really looks like a kid wrapped it?"

"No. Of course not." Nick lied. The present was, in a word: atrocious. The paper was thrown around the present and twisted at either ends and held together with LOTS of masking tape...and duck tape.

"I ran out of masking tape..." Riley explained and Nick laughed and pulled her close to kiss her.

"I love it..." Nick replied and Riley chuckled.

"Why don't you try opening it so you can love it even more...?"

Nick smiled and released her from his grasp as he tried to unwrap the present...with no luck. Riley blushed and offered her hand to help with the present. She bit into the wrapping and tore it with her teeth, then handed it to Nick so he could finish. He laughed at her unorthodox manners but unwrapped the present. He burst out laughing at the first item he found inside. "...Rocky and Bullwinkle boxers?" He asked and she smiled and nodded.

"With sexual innuendos on them..."

"What more could a guy ask for...?"

"Keep lookin." She instructed and Nick went back to the massive pile of messed up paper and found the newest Rascal Flatts CD.

"No way!"

"Yes way."

"I've been wanting this!"

"That's why I got it." Riley replied and Nick smiled and shot her a look.

"I wanna listen to it."

She laughed and nodded towards the house. "Wanna go take a spin in my truck so we can listen to it. Mama and Daddy won't be done with dinner for a little bit now, plus everyone still has to get back here."

Nick nodded and then took his presents to stow them away in the truck while Riley informed her parents of where they were going. They hopped into the truck and drove off as Nick popped the CD in and let the first song, Stand, play.

_You feel like a candle in a hurricane  
Just like a picture with a broken frame  
Alone and helpless like you've lost your fight  
But you'll be alright, you'll be alright _

_Cause when push comes to shove  
You taste what you're made of  
You might bend 'til you break  
Cause it's all you can take  
On your knees you look up  
Decide you've had enough  
You get mad, you get strong  
Wipe your hands, shake it off  
Then you stand, then you stand _

Life's like a novel with the end ripped out  
The edge of canyon with only one way down  
Take what you're given before it's gone  
And start holdin' on, keep holdin' on

Cause when push comes to shove  
You taste what you're made of  
You might bend 'til you break  
Cause it's all you can take  
On your knees you look up  
Decide you've had enough  
You get mad, you get strong  
Wipe your hands, shake it off  
Then you stand, then you stand

Every time you get up and get back in the race  
One more small piece of you starts to fall into place – yeah

Cause when push comes to shove  
You taste what you're made of  
You might bend 'til you break  
Cause it's all you can take  
On your knees you look up  
Decide you've had enough  
You get mad, you get strong  
Wipe your hands, shake it off  
Then you stand, then you stand

_  
Yeah, then you stand – yeah  
Yeah, Baby  
Woo Hoo, Woo Hoo, Woo Hoo-  
Then you stand – Yeah, Yeah_

Nick smiled and quickly skipped through the tracks. "I wanna listen to one song on here real quick..." Nick explained and she chuckled.

"Whatever Baby, it's your CD, do as you please."

Nick smiled and let the song, Me and My Gang, play...

_Way on down to southern Alabama  
With the guitars jammin' that's where we're headed  
Straight up to Butte, Montana singin' Lord I was born a ramblin' man  
California to Oregon  
Even New York City got one or two hillbillies ready to hit the road _

_It's a brother and a sister kinda thang  
Raise up your hands if you all wanna hang with _

_  
Me and my gang  
We live to ride, we ride to live  
Me and my gang  
Jump on that train  
Grab a hold of them reins  
We gonna rock this thang, cock this thang  
Me and my gang _

We got hippies, gypsies, freaks, and geeks  
High class women in Daisy Duke denim  
Bangin' on gongs and singin' our songs  
dude named Elrod jammin on an I-pod  
Beer and bonfires  
Wide open throttle, Coors in a bottle  
It's all for one and ONE FOR ALL YA'LL

_It's a brother and a sister kinda thang  
Raise up your hands if you all wanna hang with _

_  
Me and my gang  
We live to ride, we ride to live  
Me and my gang  
Jump on that train  
Grab a hold of them reins  
We gonna rock this thang, cock this thang  
Me and my gang_

_Yeah! Na na na na na na na_

_Na na na na na_

_Na na na na na na na_

_Na na na na na na na_

_Na na na na _

_It's a brother and a sister kinda thang  
Raise up your hands if you all wanna hang with _

_  
Me and my gang  
We live to ride, we ride to live  
Me and my gang  
Jump on that train  
Grab a hold of them reins  
We gonna rock this thang, cock this thang  
Me and my gang_

_Yeah! Na na na na na na na_

_Na na na na na_

_Na na na na na na na_

_Na na na na na na na_

_Na na na na _

_Na na na na na na na _

_Na na na na _

_Na na na na na na na _

_Yeah, me and my Gang!_

_Jump on that train!_

_Wooo!_

_Grab hold o' them reigns baby! _

Nick laughed and let the CD continue then turned to look at Riley's bittersweet smile. "What is it Baby?" Nick asked concerned and she smiled and shrugged.

"I miss the Gang."

"Aw...Baby...you'll get to see them soon..."

She sighed and nodded. "Yeah...but not soon enough." Then she smiled and winked at him. "Raise your hands if y'all wanna hang with me and my gang!" Riley demanded and Nick threw his hands in the air.

"YEE HAW!!!"

* * *

_...RAISE UP YOUR HANDS IF YOU ALL WANNA HANG WITH ME AND MY GANG!!!!!!!! _

_But since I can't see you, why don't y'all leave a review and let me know..._

_PS: does anyone get why I'm calling the book, Me and My Gang, now?  
_

_-Futuremisscsi60_

_PPS: Where did Porsche go? What drama will unfold at the funeral? What will the couples reaction be to the photos taken in their slumber? WILL RILEY EVER GET HER APPLE COBBLER!?!?!?!! _

_These and other questions will be answered in the next and final chapter of Me and My Gang..._

_STAY TUNED FOLKS!!!!!!!!!!_


	42. Chapter 42

**Disclaimer: **_I own everything besides Nick...wow, that's weird to say..._

**Rating: **_Strong M...for intense situations, and LOTS 'o cussin!_

**A/N: **_Wow...alright people, this is the last chapter, I'd just like to say thanks in advance to everyone who has read and reviewed (even if they were just one-liners). All the reviews count. I need to let everyone know that, even though this portion of the book is ending, _**Maestoso **_will still be keeping her book, A Long Road Ahead, going...(y'all should really check that out, especially if you're Greggo fans!) –Gasp – Oh! I'm listening to my radio and Far Away by Nickelback just came on...that reminds me of that one chapter..._

_Oh, anyway, this chapter is FULL of drama (aren't they all) so be prepared for that. I also decided to be nice and give y'all a nice LONG chapter, so you can bask in that glory...um...yep...I think that's it... –sigh – alright...on with the book...-sniffle- the last chapter..._

**

* * *

**

Chapter 42

Riley sighed and ran a tired hand through her long red hair...she sighed yet again and dug her nails into her scalp as she debated one more time the decision she knew she'd have to make. It was close to three in the morning and Riley was sitting wide awake at her parent's café table in their kitchen, looking out the window at the spacious backyard and sparkling river. She sighed for the third time in five minutes and looked back down at the CVS bag on the table...

She knew what was in it, considering she had been the one to sneak out while the family was distracted and make the daring purchase. She brought her arm back down and crossed them on the table in front of her and stared at the bag. She looked away and put her fist to her mouth when she heard a floorboard creak. Her head snapped over towards the doorway and she searched through the shadows, anxiously waiting to see which figure it would be.

The feet shuffled slightly as they walked and treaded lightly, letting Riley know who it was before she saw them. "Mama..."

Her mother appeared from the shadows and clinched her robe tighter and smoothed her graying hair back with an aged 'worker's' hand. "Hey Baby Girl..."

"What are you doin up Mama?" Riley questioned as her mother sat down at the table and put her fist under her chin.

"What are _you_ doin up?" Her mother countered and Riley sighed, looking anywhere but the bag.

"...Couldn't sleep." Riley replied and her mother dragged her gaze over to the bag and both women stared at it as if it was about to explode. Her mother sighed.

"Have you taken one yet?" She asked and Riley shook her head.

"No...this is my first...ever, actually." Riley chuckled softly and her mother sighed and shook her head.

"I remember my first..." Her mother began and Riley looked over at her. "I was thirteen..." Riley nodded, knowing this story, but never hearing this part of it. "...It was positive." Riley sighed again and nodded. "...Have y'all talked about kids yet?"

"Not officially...it's slipped into conversation before but..." Riley let her thought trail off and she shook her head.

"How does he feel about it?"

"...He wants 'em. But not right now."

"Does he know how you feel?"

"...Not really. I've never commented on the subject."

"Are you only doing this because of Paige and Vicky...?" Hope inquired and Riley made a face.

"Yeah...pretty much...but I've been showing the symptoms..."

"Bryn, Love, you _always_ show the symptoms...humongous appetite, hormonal, over-active bladder, sporadic period..." Hope replied and Riley rolled her eyes. "You need to take the test..."

Riley looked at her mom worriedly and bit her lip. "What if I am?"

"If you 'am', then you 'am'." Her mother said with a teasing smile on her face, using bad grammar to lighten her daughter's mood. "You face it like a woman, carry the weight for nine months, and love that baby more than you have ever loved anything...and with the man that you've got...I can tell you he'll stand beside you."

"What if he doesn't want it?"

"Then you've got a family here, and in Vegas, and in Florida, and New York, Alabama, Georgia, Connecticut, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Jersey, DC, Virginia..."

"Alright Mama, I get it, I get it..."

"Although...I request that you keep that precious baby away from Shaun..." She chuckled and put a hand over her heart. "Lord knows I love that boy like he was my own...but I don't think my dear old heart could take a little Shaun runnin around...or another little Bryn for that matter..."

Riley chuckled and ducked her head, still nervous but slightly relieved. Her mother reached out and grabbed her hand. "I love ya Mama..."

"I love you too Bee-Bop. And I'll stand by you no matter how many little pink lines there are..."

"Thanks, but I'm still hopin Bee-Bop didn't get 'bee-bopped'." Riley joked and her mother laughed.

* * *

Riley sat on the edge of the tub in her bathroom, hands under her thighs, shoulders tight together, knees bouncing nervously, and lip being gnawed on. Her mother was waiting anxiously in Riley's bedroom, no doubt pressed up against the door, listening for gasps of surprise, cries of regret, or sighs of relief. Riley checked her watch for the umpteenth time...

_1 minute, 28 seconds left..._

* * *

"1 minute, 28 seconds..." Hope whispered softly to herself and fiddled with her watch nervously. She glanced around the room nervously, wondering what her husband was doing right now and praying to God that he was fast asleep. Her thoughts then drifted to the potential father, no doubt sleeping ignorantly, counting down the days until he could take Riley home and claim her as his once again.

Hope sighed slightly angrily and plopped down on the edge of the bed closest to the door. She thought back to the first time she had ever taken a pregnancy test...it seemed like forever ago...

She thought back to when Riley had fretfully told her of her first time, and the possibility of her youngest child's pregnancy flashed into her mind as the mother had broken down. It seemed surreal that the event had taken place only four years earlier...and that in all that time this was Riley's first scare.

_Reality check anyone...?_ Hope asked herself and sighed again as she restlessly looked back at her watch. _23 seconds..._

* * *

_23 seconds..._ Riley thought nervously and released a soft sigh of apprehension as she glanced around the bathroom. Anything to keep from staring at the tiny test that could very well change her life. _Oh God...how am I gonna tell Nick?_ Riley asked herself and sighed again. _Alright, its official, that man is never touching me again..._ She sighed _...alright now that's just a lie. _She thought internally and smirked at her inner antics.

Riley's mind flashed back to the night she had broken the news to her mother what sin she had committed. _Whoa, was that really only four years ago?_ Riley had felt so guilty after that. She couldn't believe what she and Deven had done...

Now, here she was, four years later and none the smarter, sitting in the very same bathroom as before, on the edge of tears, waiting on a stupid test.

Beep, beep...beep, beep...

Her watch sounded and Riley looked down at the thing, eyes wide, mouth agape, heart pounding...

* * *

Hope heard the beep and her head snapped up from out of her hands. She stared at the wooden door in apprehension. What was the verdict? Her mouth ran dry, and she was sure she'd wake up the entire house with the pounding of her heart...

_Oh God...how is Bryn taking this?_ Hope asked herself, knowing the first few seconds before looking at a pregnancy test were the worst. Once when she had taken it herself, her vision had been blurred by tears, and she was sure the sign had read positive instead of negative...

* * *

Riley stood up off the tub edge and smoothed her hands down her thighs, biting her lip as she did so... _Oh God, I think I'm gonna be sick. _She thought as she started towards the sink where the test was perched. She stopped and stared in worry before she could read the test, too frozen to move.

"Bryn...?" Came her mother's soft whisper. "Bryn, what does it say?"

"I...I can't...I can't do it." She said softly and shook her head as she closed her eyes and reached for the test.

* * *

"Honey, just look at the test." Her mother urged softly.

She heard her daughter whimper and it broke her heart. "I'm scared...God I'm so stupid." She berated herself and her mother shook her head though she couldn't see her.

"No Baby...you're not stupid. You're strong and brave, just look at the test."

* * *

Riley lifted her head towards the ceiling, eyes still closed, then slowly lowered it and opened her eyes. She felt the wind be sucked from her lungs and she quickly gasped and blinked back the tears forming in her eyes at the results. "Oh God..."

* * *

Her mother shifted nervously. She heard the gasp and small plead to God...that wasn't good. The door slowly opened and Riley appeared on the other side, eyes full of tears. Her mother looked at her sympathetically and her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh Baby..."

Riley gave a small smile. "And I'll be the baby for a while...the one and only baby." She emphasized softly and her mother looked at her confused. Riley smiled wider and sighed. "It's negative...I'm not pregnant."

Hope breathed a sigh of relief and pulled her daughter into a hug. She smiled happily and wiped at the tears on her face. "I swear to God Bryn if you ever do that to me again, _I'm_ gonna put my foot so far up your ass it'll come out your mouth." Her mother threatened and Riley chuckled softly.

"I love you Mama..."

"I love you too Bryn...and no matter what you do, no matter how many children, grandchildren, or great grandchildren you have, or however old you are...you'll always be my baby."

* * *

Nick rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he stumbled down the stairs of Riley's house. He pulled the T Shirt he was wearing down fully and poked his head into the living room. It was empty. He walked to the second favorite place the family liked to gather together.

He entered the dining room and stared in shock when he spotted Riley. "What are you doing up already?" Nick asked incredulously. Riley looked at him and smiled.

"Mama's secret weapon..." She looked back towards the kitchen as her mother came forward with Nick's bowl of breakfast.

"Bryn can never resist waking up when she gets a whiff of my home-made eggs and grits with bacon bits." Hope replied and set the steaming bowl down in front of Nick. Nick stared at it wide eyed and licked his lips.

"Oh wow..." He said and without another word, dug into the breakfast. Hope smiled proudly and went back into the kitchen to prepare for seconds.

Twenty minutes later Nick sat back and pushed his second bowl away, a smile on his face. "Thank you Mrs. Turner...I gotta say, that's the best breakfast I've had in a while."

Riley snorted in an un-lady-like manner and chuckled. "Yeah, considering your breakfast consists of coffee and chips or my cooking."

Hope gasped at that thought and looked at Nick in shock. "You poor baby." She said softly and shook her head. Nick chuckled and looked over at Riley who gaped in offense.

"Wait, I have to suffer with my cooking too...where's my love?" Riley asked in mock-hurt and Paige rolled her eyes playfully.

"Nobody loves you Bee-bop, get over it." She joked and Riley pouted playfully.

"I disagree..." Nick replied softly and Riley looked at him and blushed while pursing her lips and ducking her head to shovel more food in her mouth. Paige looked over at Tom, mouth agape and shared a look with her mother and Brandy.

"Ooooh!" All the women chorused.

"Aw, you love her?!" Candice asked in surprise and brought the women to chorus in another 'Awww'.

Ryan laughed and shook his head. "Dude, good luck with that." Nick chuckled uncomfortably and stole a glance at Riley as he chugged down his coffee. If her cheeks got any redder she would soon disappear into her hair. The alert that told him she was REALLY embarrassed was that not only her cheeks reddened, but so did the tips of her ears, her entire face, arms, and chest. She buried her head in her hand then grabbed her cigarettes from the pocket of the flannel shirt she was wearing. She stood up and adjusted her gray Soffee shorts and smiled softly.

"Well I'm gonna go smoke more than a chimney and pray for lung cancer. I'll be back later to drink myself into a comma." She joked and everyone chuckled as she walked out onto the porch. Nick quickly excused himself and stood to follow her.

"Hey..." He walked up to her and gently pulled on her arm so that she turned to face him. "I'm sorry about that in there." Nick apologized softly and she laughed and shook her head.

"Are you Catholic?" She asked and he gave her a questioning look. "Cause you carry the guilt like one." She replied jokingly and Nick smiled and chuckled. "It's fine..." She said nodding towards the house. "They're crazy insane."

"Really? I haven't noticed." Nick joked and Riley gave him a crooked smile.

"Well...I'm gonna have a cigarette and then I've gotta go get ready for the pre-ceremonial gathering." She replied softly and Nick nodded and kissed her forehead softly, keeping his lips pressed against her skin longer than necessary before pulling away and rubbing her arms.

"And everyone else and I will meet up with y'all when...?"

"Three-ish..." She sighed. "I wish you could be there with me for the first part." She replied as he pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

"I know Darlin...I wanna go with you too...but I'll only be an hour behind." Nick pointed out and Riley sighed and nodded against his chest. She wrapped her arms around his waist and he smiled and wrapped his arms around her shoulders and buried his head in the crook of her neck.

The family stood inside the kitchen, all huddled around each other, leaning over each other to peer out the kitchen window to watch the couple in awe. Candice sniffled and wiped her eyes. "They're so cute..."

"And you're so hormonal." Her husband replied, to which she swatted his arm.

"It's not my fault you knocked me up." She grumbled and Hope chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"I believe it takes two to Tango my dear." Hope pointed out and Candice blushed and tried to focus on the couple once again.

* * *

Riley sighed as she crossed her legs for the hundredth time and smoothed out her black dress. She tugged on her black matching jacket, and finally got sick of the darned thing, and pulled it off her shoulders. She draped it over her arm then picked up her paper fan once again and started circulating air back towards herself.

Ugh...Lord, point me towards the genius who decided to have the opening service outside, at noon, in Texas, in the middle of August... Riley thought silently and sighed again. She didn't want to be here. This shouldn't have happened.

Riley blamed the damn doctors. _If that SOB had only caught the blasted disease sooner...instead of loadin her up on steroids... _Riley sniffled and subtly wiped away a tear. She remembered her Aunt's exact words when she said she wanted to quit the steroids. _"...I wanna give my Donny a special Christmas present this year...I wanna be free of dependency on these damned things for him. His love is the only drug I wanna be hooked on." _

Her Aunt Dee Dee had been out working when she was bitten by a tick and quickly developed lime disease. The doctor had treated her for it, and eventually ridded her system of it. Only to have her catch pneumonia a few weeks later. Her immune system was too weak to fight it off on her own, so they started loading her up on steroids and tons of other drugs. Donny had expressed his distaste for his wife of 32 years' new dependency multiple times, but Dee Dee never stopped. Around early July she was infected with lime disease once again, a rare disease to acquire twice in a lifetime.

She never fully recovered the second time, but knew that it was her choice whether or not to continue the treatment. She immediately refused, then admitted that she wanted off all of the drugs...

Her body couldn't survive on it's own, and she died peacefully in her sleep. Donny found her the next morning when he came home from the nightshift, and was confused when he couldn't wake her. Her tiny Bichon Fries affectionately named Cuddles was curled up into her side and whimpering when her beloved 'mother' didn't wake. Cuddles never left her side...not even when Donny tried to coax her away, in tears the entire time.

Donny's mother had been the one to come over to their house and find them. She called for an ambulance, though it was already too late. The rest of the family was notified the next day...

Riley sucked in a sharp breath and looked around the room at some of the familiar faces._ Geez...am I related to _all _these people?_ She thought incredulously. She had always known she had a big family...but very rarely saw them **all **gathered together where she could fathom their full amount.

She stood from the uncomfortable chair and wandered over to the window and sat at the window seat to watch the wind roll by and the oblivious people continue on with their day. A strong hand landed on her shoulder, and though she didn't know who it was, she reached over and squeezed it without looking away from the window. A few minutes later she looked over to the mystery person and smiled softly when she saw it was her Uncle Artie.

She stood up and stood on her tippy toes to wrap her arms around his neck and give him a hug. At 6'5 and 260 pounds he reminded her a lot of Jon back in Vegas (_not her cousin or uncle(s) Jon...the boxer in Vegas...try to keep up people). _'Hey Uncle Artie..." She greeted softly as he released her and set her firmly back on the ground.

"Hey Kiddo...how're you doin?" He asked and she nodded.

"I'm okay." She said unconvincingly. But Artie didn't push. He nodded and gave a supportive smile and laid a hand on her smile. He nodded towards the thick pack of trees and bushes and she nodded and followed him to the path. They walked along the cobble stone path, and then circled around the green lawn of the Funeral Home to the park benches set out underneath the large trees near the driveway of the Home. He patted the spot on the bench next to him and she sat down and crossed her legs once again as they both stared out across the street at the woods on the other side of the road. "It all seems kinda surreal...ya know?" She asked and Artie smiled and nodded.

"Yeah...your Aunt Dee was a wonderful woman. She reminded me a lot of my younger sister Donna."

"How's Donny doin...?"

"About as well as could be expected...Hell, those two were still like newly weds...after 32 years of marriage they were still so in love." Artie professed and Riley smiled and nodded.

Riley chuckled. "How long have you and Aunt Libby been married now?"

Artie smiled and shook his head. "43 years..."

"Pardon my French but, _Damn_." She said while chuckling.

He laughed and slapped his knee. "Yeah...do you realize I could've killed someone and gotten outta prison and still had time to spare for as many years as I've been married?"

"Wow..."

"Yep."

"How'd you do it?" Riley asked, turning to face him. "What's the secret to making a marriage work?"

"The secret?"

"Yeah, everyone says married couples spend their entire lives searching for the secret to a good marriage, while some others find it out right away. How do you not divorce even when things suck?"

Artie smiled. "_In every marriage more than a week old, there are grounds for divorce. The trick is to find, and continue to find, grounds for marriage.__"_

"Robert Anderson said that...but that doesn't answer my question."

"That's because your question is obsolete."

"Huh?" Riley asked naively and Artie laughed again.

"Bryn Baby Girl, you wanna know the secret behind a happy marriage?" Riley nodded and leaned closer. "There isn't one." He whispered and pulled away from her ear while smiling. She furred her brow. "And even if there is some, so-called secret to a happy marriage, you won't find it out right away...it takes years of trust, loyalty, love, honesty, and commitment...and any one who tells you otherwise is just plain stupid. Your Aunt Libby and I have had our fair share of fights and arguments, and there have been plenty of times when we've both wanted out..."

"So how did you not 'get out'? I mean, I'd ask my parents about this but..." She rolled her eyes. "I ain't goin there..."

"Well...we remembered that we've already had so many years of trust, loyalty, love, honesty, and commitment put into the relationship...what's one more day gonna hurt?"

"And when that one day was over...?"

He smiled. "We'd forget we were fighting and go back to being in love." She smiled softly and looked out to the woods once again. "And sure, there were times when the fights would last a while...but we already had so much time invested...throwing away our relationship because of something so stupid as to whose turn it was to go shopping seemed juvenile. Plus...we never stopped being in love. And when you're apart from the one you love, whether it's voluntary, involuntary, permanently, or temporary...it hurts like the pain of a thousand knives..." He looked away and sighed. "You never stop loving that 'someone'..."

"You just learn to live without them." Riley finished, remembering that as what her mother always told her... Riley sighed and looked away while chuckling. "Uncle Artie...how'd you get to be so wise?"

He laughed jolly and slapped his knee while standing up. "Hell Darlin, I've messed up enough times, it seems ridiculous not to eventually start catchin on..."

Riley laughed and shook her head as she helped her Uncle off the bench. He smiled and handed her the black beach-looking hat she had brought with her to shield herself from the sun. She smiled and placed it on her head and pushed her angel curls out of her face and smiled. "Well...I guess we should get back over there before they think we ran away." Riley replied and Artie laughed.

"Need an escort dear?" Artie asked, offering his elbow and she laughed and took his arm in her own as the two started off towards the large group. Paige caught up with them, and pulled her away from her Uncle. With a quick goodbye Riley went off to talk with Paige. She sighed and dug around in her purse for the object Paige had asked for, and furred her brows when her hand touched something unfamiliar. She handed Paige what she had asked for, the quickly turned away from the crowd to pull the mystery object out of her purse.

She furred her brows in confusion when she held up the tiny bag of Hershey's kisses with a handwritten note attached to it with a ribbon. She quirked a brow and opened the note to read what it said.

_Riley, _

_Sorry I can't be there with you when you need me, but think of me Darlin, and do the following: Close your eyes and place the candy between your lips. Drop the candy in your mouth and roll it on your tongue until it melts. _

_;) I'll be there before you know it. _

_Only Yours, _

_Nick _

Riley grinned like a Cheshire cat and did as the note instructed. Paige walked up to her and smiled. "Oooh! Hershey kisses! Can I have one?" She asked and Riley smiled and shook her head 'no'.

"You have your own man to give you kisses, back up off mine." Riley replied and Paige looked at her oddly and walked off to go find Tom.

* * *

Riley gripped Nick's hand tighter and sighed as she continued down the path to the parking lot where they were all parked. Riley sighed and turned to Nick. "Thank you for coming Nick...I really don't think, no, wait...I know I couldn't have done this without you." She professed and Nick gave her a soft smile.

"That's what I'm here for Baby..." He replied softly and drew her into a hug. He kissed her temple and held her close to him as she clung to him and sobbed into his shoulder. "Do you wanna talk about it?" Nick asked and Riley nodded and pulled away.

"Yeah...but I don't think now is the time." She said while wiping her eyes. She caught her father shooting her a disapproving look and she sighed and rolled her eyes. She felt like shit and was going through emotional Hell, now really wasn't a good time to mess with her.

"Now is not the time nor the place Bryn." Her father snapped and Riley balled her hands into fists at her sides and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Would you relax? He's just givin me a friggin hug." Riley replied and her father shook his head.

"Save it for later Bryn." He ordered sharply, making several people jump at the boom of his voice.

"Save what?" Riley asked exasperatedly. This caused several family members to look over in their direction to see what the problem was. "Would you come off it Dad? You act like we're friggin heathens that go at it constantly! He was givin me a supportive and comforting hug because, unlike you, I'm dealing with this! Alright, it hurts, and thanks to Nick," She said gesturing to Nick behind her. "I know it's alright to cry about this and deal with this and not let it get bottled up inside of me so that I just burst!" Riley shouted and her father fixed her with a glare set to make the Devil squirm.

Her Dad's deep below was enough to shake the Earth and make everyone but Riley's siblings, her mother, and Nick run away and hop into their vehicles. "**Don't **you _dare_ raise your voice to me _Bryn Riley Ann Turner_ or so help me **God **I'll-"

"What?! You'll walk out on me just like you do **everything** else?! See, I'm confused _Daddy Dearest_, are you more pissed that I _finally_ have someone who doesn't just want me as a piece of ass, and makes me happy, or that I'm able to show emotion and love without running away screaming!! All my _life_ you told me I couldn't trust anybody, well you know what, **you're** the one person I _shouldn't _have trusted, because you've caused me _more_ pain than everyone else **combined**! More than everyone that's ever lied to me, backstabbed me, hurt me, or abused me, I've felt the pain of **your **knife!" She shouted, letting the floodgates of her and her father's emotional Hell open up wide enough to drench them both and lower their inhibitions to let it all out.

"That's hard to believe considering how you ran back to me to help you put the pieces back together every time you fucked up your life!" He shouted, taking a step closer to her, causing Nick to stiffen...he saw Keith clench his fists and try to intimidate her with his height...and Riley was either stupid, or brave enough not to back down.

"That's how fuckin messed up you made me!"

"Your fucked up mind isn't all my fault Bryn so don't you dare pin this all on me!"

"Oh yeah!? Wanna know why I never stood a chance at a healthy relationship?! Because the first fifteen years of my life you and my mother fought _every fuckin day_ and couldn't even stand to be in the same damn room as each other! You came close to beating the living shit out of Logan more times than I can count! And Russell, dear Lord forbid that boy should _wipe his ass_ without Daddy's nod of approval! And Ryan, what the fuck there Dad!? He can't seem to do **anything** right by you can he?! NONE of us can!! Oh wait, except Dear Paige! That spoiled _brat _could get away with murder in your eyes! You know why?! Because she's just like Mama! And _God _knows Mama couldn't stand to be around you, so why not shower the other one with affection and anything she's **ever **fuckin **wanted**?!"

Everyone was standing on the sidelines, mouths agape, eyes bulging. Hope, Nick, and Logan had a small idea at how pissed her father could make her, but none of them knew that it was this bad.

"But then low and behold, to _everyone's_ surprise Mama can't take it anymore!" Riley yelled, her words dripping with sarcasm and venom. "So what does she do? She smartens up and leaves! The only mistake she _ever_ made wasn't all the shit she did when she was younger, it wasn't enduring all that emotional and psychological Hell for all those years, it was coming back to YOU! She should've taken us and **stayed**!"

"Bryn..." Hope said, coming forward.

"NO!" Riley screamed, whipping around to face her mother. "This family has drilled it in my head since the day I was born that I had to stay on mute, well ya know what, FUCK IT! I don't give a damn what y'all think anymore, because I've realized somethin, we're about _as fucked up_ as they come, and if I stand around here all my life, waiting on baited breath for your nod of approval, I'm **wasting my time**!"

Hope flinched and coward back to her spot as Keith revved up, in total shock and anger that she was speaking to them like this. But Riley whipped around to face him...she wasn't done yet.

"Wanna know where I learned how to throw such a damn fine hissy fit?! Well, I've been watchin y'all al my life, so take a wild guess!" She snapped and Keith glared as he stood his ground and gritted his teeth. "Oh, I'm sorry, is this _offending_ you?! Fine," She pointed to the road. "Don't let your Karma hit ya on the ass on your way out!" He made no move to leave. "What, have you forgotten how to leave? Why? You've done it enough times, try Debbie and Aaron! Huh!? You remember Aaron?! Yeah, he's the son you abandoned when your marriage with Debbie got too hard!!"

"That's not fair! You knew nothing about Debbie!" Keith replied and Riley shook her head.

"Alright, let's not talk about Debbie; let's talk about Mama, shall we!"

"Bryn..." Hope replied, but Riley ignored her.

"You wanna know what it's like to come home from school, having a hard day as a Freshman in High school, having actually just lost your best friend that day, to come home and find your mother in tears, crying in a ball in her room, too heartbroken to even form words to tell her children that she and your father couldn't make it...BIG SURPRISE!" Riley screamed as the tears finally started streaming like rivers down her face. She wasn't even sure if she was yelling at a tree or her father at the moment...her vision was too blurred. "Then to sit in your room in complete shock and cradle your older sister in your arms as she cried _every damn tear_ within her!! Diner time rolled around and you** still** weren't home! I was so scared somethin happened to you!! I thought you had a car accident, so I decided to go ask Mama where you were..." She shook her head and sniffled; only just now hearing the complete and utter silence. Not even the birds were chirping. Everyone and everything were standing in shock. "I couldn't even _form a reaction_ when she told me you went out with that slut Elizabeth!"

"Do you have any idea how pissed I was?!?! How much I just wanted to hunt y'all down and rip that bitch's hair out piece by piece and strangle her with it for ruining my family even MORE!!! Paige and Mama cried herself to sleep; Ricky and Ronny went out and didn't come home for **three **days, and Logan, Russell, and Ryan wouldn't even leave the house! I stayed up all night waiting for you to get home Dad...!! You _never_ came home! I was getting ready to leave for school when I _finally_ saw you walk through the door!"

"I came back..." He growled.

"You should have stayed away! So here, let me help you!" She gestured again to the road. "Did you forget how?! Do we need to recap!? Alright, in conclusion, you are the **biggest** fucking _coward _I have **ever **laid my eyes on!" Riley screamed. Quicker than anyone could process, Keith had reached his arm back and back handed her across the face. Her head whipped to the side and red hair flew in front of her face and instantly bruised cheek.

"Keith!" Hope screamed and stood in shock at what he had done. Riley snapped her head back towards him and let him see the tears streaming down her face, mixing with the blood from the cut on her cheek his wedding band had delivered. She shook her head softly and worked her jaw. "...Thanks for not letting me down Keith." She said softly.

When it finally registered to Nick what had happened, he had Riley by the arm and was quickly escorting her away, then back in Keith's face.

"Get your hands off her boy! This isn't any of your business!" Keith yelled and Nick gritted his teeth and used every fiber of his being to keep from wheeling off and decking the much larger man.

"I agree, a father's spat with his daughter isn't any of my business...but when you start slapping the woman I love around, it is! So if you ever, ever lay another hand on that woman," He pointed to Riley, never looking away from Keith. "I'll serve you the biggest ass kickin you've ever gotten and make you wish you'd stopped at child number 6!" Nick screamed and took off with Riley. He carefully took her to her truck and buckled the trance-stricken woman into the passenger's seat. He climbed in the driver's seat and quickly sped off, trying to process what the Hell just happened...

* * *

Nick took Riley to the first hotel he could find after leaving her in the car so he could grab their stuff from her parent's house and leave as quickly as possible. Nick sat her down on the hotel bed and put the bags on the other side of the bed before circling back around to stand in front of Riley. He knelt down in front of her and slowly brought his hand up to her face to push the hair from her face.

He sighed and went into the bathroom and pulled out the standard first aid kit, then went to kneel down back in front of Riley. He gently plucked her red hair out of the wound, making her wince. He apologized softly and quickly cleaned up the cut and placed a liquid Band-Aid over it. She sighed and slowly moved her face out of his hand, making him sigh and rest his hands on her knees.

She looked up and into his chocolate eyes and let more tears fall. "...What just happened?" She asked and began to sob softly. Nick sat on the bed next to her and cradled her in his arms as he smoothed down her hair and placed soft kisses to the top of her head.

"Are you alright?"

She pulled away and nodded. "It doesn't hurt that much."

"No...I mean..." He sighed as she looked up at him. "...What was that?"

Riley cringed and pulled out of his embrace and looked away, thinking about how bad that must have been...

"I mean, I've seen you mad, I've seen you pissed, and I've seen you livid...but that...what was all that?" Nick asked completely floored by what he had just seen. She gulped and looked down.

_Oh God...he fuckin hates me. He thinks I'm horrible and doesn't even know who I am...Oh God...he doesn't love me anymore...Oh God. _She thought and began breathing heavily as her eyes filled with tears again and she jumped up off of the bed and ran for the bathroom. Nick quickly ran after her, but she had locked the door and wouldn't respond to his pleas to let him in.

She purged her stomach of everything she'd eaten in the past twenty four hours. When she was done she rested her head on the tub next to the toilet and began to cry. _Oh God...my entire family hates me...I don't think I can handle him hating me as well...Oh God, please Nick...oh God I'm sorry..._

She thought in complete terror of him hating her. She began to cry harder. Hard enough to drown out the sounds of Nick pleading for her to let him in.

* * *

Almost an hour later Riley had cried herself to sleep after having washed the taste of vomit out of her mouth. She was curled up in a ball on the bathroom floor by the time Nick finally Jimmy-ed the lock and opened the door. He frowned at the sight of her on the floor and picked her up in his arms and carried her into the room.

He laid her down on the bed and gently pulled her shoes off of her feet and placed them next to her hat and jacket. _Oh Baby...please don't think I hate you...why would you think I hate you...? _Nick silently asked himself after having heard her cries in the bathroom. _Does she really not know that I love her more than is physically possible? That it hurts just to watch her sit there and read a book, or clean the dishes, or laugh at a joke because it feels like my heart is about to explode with love..._

Nick slid out of his shoes and crawled up into the bed next to her and watched her fretful face in her sleep. Her eyes popped open and she stared at him in confusion. She looked around the room and then set her gaze back on him. "I fell asleep on the floor in the bathroom."

"I brought you in here." Nick stated softly.

"How?"

"Why do you think I hate you?" Nick asked, avoiding her question. He brushed the hair from her face and shook his head. "I don't hate you...farthest thing from it Darlin." Nick replied, a small smirk on his lips.

"That back there..." She trailed off and Nick shook his head.

"You had an emotional and stressful day."

"No..." She shook her head and sat up in the bed, leaving Nick looking at her confused. "Nick...no. That wasn't just spur of the moment..." She turned to face him and tucked her legs under her. She couldn't believe she was actually admitting this to him...but it was like the ultimate test. He said he loved her and always would...now was his time to prove it. "Do you have any idea how many times I've dreamed about saying that to that man?" She asked and then rolled her eyes. "Granite, it went better than that, but...still..." She sighed and looked towards the bland hotel wall. "For 25 friggin years I've kept that bottled up..." She wiped at her tears on her cheeks and chuckled dryly. "I can't believe I went off on him in a Funeral Home parking lot..."

Nick sat up and looked at her.

"Dee would've loved that...she loved my father like a brother, but dear Lord she knew I was treated unfairly...and she hated it. When no one, not even my mother, would stand up to him, she would...Dee Dee was always like that." She smirked and turned to Nick. "Once, when my Mama was in sixth grade, someone made a remark about her being a whore because she was pregnant in the sixth grade...then some jerk said he was gonna try to get her into bed 'cause it'd be easy...Dee Dee over heard him and, now lemme tell ya, Dee Dee was a small person. No bigger than 5'1...but man she could fight...the guy that said that about my Mama was about 6'4, but Dee Dee walked right up to him, stood up on a chair and clocked his jaw...in one punch that boy was out like a light...no one ever messed with her after that..."

"So you were kinda born with the spit fire in ya, huh?" Nick joked softly and Riley smiled and nodded.

"Yeah..." The smile disappeared and she frowned. "But not like that...I can't believe I said all that horrible stuff..."

"Was it true?"

"Huh?" She asked, turning to look at him.

"Was it true...? Did ya mean it?"

Riley thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Yep...I did. But I didn't mean to hurt him...I think I could've phrased it a little better...maybe censor it a bit." She joked and Nick smiled and looked down.

"Sweetie...are you alright? I mean seriously."

Riley thought about it for a moment, and then sighed. "yeah...I am. In a way I feel...lighter..."

"Lighter?"

"Yeah...like I got a 25 year-old wart off my chest..." Riley replied with a smirk.

Nick smiled and shook his head. He loved those stupid analogies. "Do you want me to start you a shower?"

"Do I stink?" She asked and smiled softly at him. He quickly shook his head.

"Of course not." He replied and she gave him a look. He grinned that iceberg-melting-smile of his and shrugged, causing her to laugh.

"If I hadn't just vomited, I'd kiss you right now..." She professed and Nick laughed.

"And if this was some cheesy romance novel I'd say it didn't matter and smother you in a passionate kiss anyway and make sweet, sweet, hot, passionate love to you right here on this nasty, grimy, hotel bed." Nick replied and Riley threw her head back and laughed.

"Good thing it isn't huh?" She asked while climbing off the bed and Nick laughed as he watched her climb off the bed and dig through her bag. Nick rolled off the bed and went into the bathroom to start her shower.

* * *

Riley stepped out of the shower fifteen minutes later and wandered into the 'bedroom' portion of the hotel room with the towel wrapped tightly around her body. She tossed it to the chair by the window, and then slid into the T shirt she had brought in the bathroom with her. She smiled when she saw Nick sprawled out on the bed, his arm thrown over his face. He had taken off his jacket, belt, and tie, and unbuttoned his shirt showing the white shirt underneath.

She looked at Nick and smiled as he moved around in his sleep and shifted his arm underneath his head, as if he was watching television. Riley chuckled and walked over to the bed and softly slipped in beside him. She slid her arm across his chest, causing him to shift towards her and reach out for her in his sleep. She smiled and snuggled into his embrace. Nick's eyes slowly opened and he smiled when he saw her.

"Hey." He croaked softly and then cleared his throat as a small smile appeared on his face as he dragged a finger across her cheek. "You smell good."

She chuckled. "You mean better."

"No, you always smell beautiful..." Nick replied and she laughed and shook her head while groaning.

"Ugh...Nick, you _have _me...you don't have to keep trying to win me over..."

Nick furred his brows. "What makes you think I'm trying...?" Nick asked honestly and she smiled and rolled him over so that he was lying on his back. She smiled and straddled his hips while playing with the buttons on his shirt. His hands went to her thighs and he smiled at her. "Lil' Miss...what're you doin?" He drawled and she smiled.

"Let's go to your parent's house."

"What?" Nick asked, thrown off by the suggestion and abrupt change of subject.

"I wanna meet your parents. I mean, if that's alright with you...we can just head on back to Vegas if you want." She said while shrugging.

He grinned wildly. "You wanna meet my parents?"

She laughed and dragged her hands down the front of his chest and settled on his abdomen. "I _believe _that's what I said..."

"Yeah...yeah. I want you to meet my parents...I don't know if everyone else will be at the house, but my parents will...yeah." He said again, floored that she had brought up meeting his parents with excitement.

She grinned wildly and bent down to place a smoldering kiss on his lips and run her hands across his chest once more. She pulled away while smiling and moaned a little. "Alright, let's go." She sat up fully and prepared to get off the bed, but Nick's hands held her in place.

"What? _Now_?"

"Yeah, c'mon..." She tried to climb off him once more but his hands held her in place and he chuckled.

"It'll be like...really late before we get there."

"Oh, is that the exact time?" She ask sarcastically. Nick bit his bottom lip and grinned playfully while slapping her butt, making her laughing and cry out in 'pain'.

"Ooooh! That was a good one..." Nick remarked and she laughed. His hands slid up her thighs and dipped underneath her shirt to settle on her thighs, and he gasped in surprise. "You're not wearin any underwear..." He noted and she doubled over laughing at his sudden and constant change of topics and random thoughts.

"C'mon, let's go..." She prompted once more, but Nick kept her held against him still. She laughed and swatted his arm. "Nicholas Garret Stokes get your ass movin!" She ordered playfully and Nick finally dropped his hands.

"You wanna go _now_?"

"Yes...! Do you not listen when I talk?" She asked half jokingly as she climbed off of him and went towards her bag at the end of the bed.

"...Hm? I'm sorry what?" Nick joked and she threw the first thing she could find at him. He laughed and tossed the pair of jeans back at her as he rolled off the bed to go get dressed. "So..." He grunted as he pulled the shirt off over his head. "Do you wanna get a rental car or call a cab...? I left the truck at your parent's house."

"Rental." She answered without looking up from sliding on her underwear and jeans. Nick glanced over at the clock and chuckled.

"Only you could prompt me to go to my parent's house, unannounced, while being totally aroused, at close to ten at night..." Nick replied and let his thought trail off as she pulled her shirt off over her head to reveal her bare, ample C cups. Nick's eyes widened slightly as he stared with a small smile on his face.

She caught his line of sight and chuckled and shook her head as she covered her breasts with a bra and pulled her navy blue, TWA gas station t shirt over her head and grabbed her Consoles. Nick pouted when she closed he chest off to him and continued getting dressed.

"You're no fun..." He replied sadly and she laughed and went over to wrap her arms around his waist and peck his lips.

"I'm tons of fun...I just don't wanna corrupt you before I go to meet your parents." She replied and Nick laughed and kissed her passionately as he led her towards the bed and eased her back onto it.

"I promise I'll be the one doing all the corrupting." Nick mumbled against her lips as he began to undo the button of her jeans. She laughed and squealed.

"Nick! I just got dressed!"

"Don't worry Baby...you'll get dressed again..." He promised and she groaned and sighed.

"Ugh, Nick..." She replied as he chuckled boyishly and continued devouring her neck.

* * *

Nick sighed again and adjusted his head on his fist as his elbow rested on the side of the window of the rental Denali. Riley looked over at him and smirked as he sighed again and adjusted himself once more. She chuckled softly and held up her hands. "Hey, buddy, don't blame me..." She replied.

"I didn't say anything." He defended irritated and she smiled and laughed.

"I didn't think to bring any protection...it isn't my fault..."

"Yep...I know...I'm very aware of the 'non-protection' situation...that's why I'm practically steering the wheel with my erection." Nick joked, knowing she'd love that phrase. Sure enough, Riley doubled over laughing as Nick smiled and picked his head up off his fist a little to quickly look over at her before turning his attention back to the road.

"Oh my GOD Nick!" Riley exclaimed between fits of breath and Nick shook his head and chuckled.

"You're insane woman..."

"Me?! You're the one who said it!"

He chuckled and continued to steer as she slowly overcame the fit of giggles. "...I love how insane you are."

She smiled and shrugged as she continued reading the map. "It happens..."

* * *

_WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! –Cries hysterically – I can't believe the book is over!!!!!!! Yeah, I know, kinda weird place to end it, but...remember...the next book is picking up where this one leaves off..._

_I'd just like to give a big shout out and YEE HAW to those who have reviewed, and stuck with me all 42 chapters! (That's alotta DRAMA...and sex ;D) _

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Lexi

logogirl

luv-a-girl

**Maestoso**(who, I must say, even after this long I still can't pronounce your name!)/ Emma (_My_ Emma XD)/emms

**Manhattan SVU**

**Miss Judged**

phoenix036

**rainingmist**

real-csi-fan

**Senorita Stokes**

**Shelbers**

**somebody 101**

**spacecoastbabe15**/ SDS (_My_ Kiersten XD)/Schabu (lol, my computer says that's not a name...)

written-fiction-fan

_SPECIAL-DOUBLE THANKS to _**Maestoso**_ and _**spacecoastbabe15 **_for putting up with my non-stop talk about this book, helping me when I was in a writer's hell, and givin me some great material by being our CRAZY INSANE SELVES!!!!_

_Well, once again, thank y'all so much for reviewin' and keeping me pumped up and excited to write new chapters...I'll try to get the new book up ASAP! I hope everyone who has stuck with us this long will tune in to see how our favorite little pin-cushion couple makes it through the rest of their trails, tribulations, secrets, and lies...wow...THINK OF ALL THE MAKE-UP SEX THEY'RE GONNA HAVE!!!!!!!!_

_Lol. _

_I love y'all (sappy moment, quick, break out the Kleenex!)! Thanks for makin the first part of this journey memorable. _

_Love, _

_-Futuremisscsi60_

_STAY TUNED!!!!!!!!!!!!_


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